A kid in a bucket seat raised high on the fat rear tires of a four-wheeled ATV eyes the corner boys slinging dope and crack around the Chinese takeout. Then he turns and looks at what he probably takes for a car full of cops facing him.

Smiling, he guns the engine, rolls out into the intersection of Fifth and Westmoreland, and pops a wheelie--his front tires arcing skyward, his long fluid body cutting a pose like that of a cowboy on a rearing horse, a kid too young to know better than to celebrate the lawlessness of wild, wild Westmoreland Street.

Drug dealing in Philadelphia has changed.

It's now a highly mobile enterprise: A hot spot might go quiet for a day, or even for several days, then come to life. Dealers employ pagers, cell phones and delivery services to stay on the move.

But it's still easy to find plenty of spots throughout the city where drug dealers work in the open air, making rapid hand exchanges with regulars and recreational enthusiasts alike.

Online crime-mapping stats posted by the Cartographic Modeling Lab at Penn also make it clear that drug markets, once concentrated in specific areas, have spread within neighborhoods and into virgin turf--most notably into the Northeast, where narcotics trafficking and violence hadn't previously been a problem. But the problems of this city were most evident during a 10-mile walk through the streets of North Philadelphia.

Trash was strewn everywhere, and shuttered factories cast shadows over the neighborhoods they once put to work. Kids lingered on corners during school hours--some selling drugs, others just hanging out, looking listless.

Any guns remained safely out of sight. Mayor Street has seized on handguns as the source of the city's violence. He even used the recent shootings at Virginia Tech to make his point, saying the day of the tragedy that "gun violence knows no geographic boundaries."

Street's six-sentence statement used the word "gun" four times, just in case anyone was missing his point. But activists, police and academics say it's time for the city to broaden its focus.

A month ago Jovonne Stelly was mourned as an innocent victim, a 28-year-old mother caught up in the city's epidemic of gun violence. Her boyfriend and brother were arrested for allegedly playing roles in the shootout that took her life.

What wasn't reported was that the men in Stelly's life had been arrested for drug offenses five times in the past 10 years. Police homicide Capt. Michael Costello says it's unclear whether drug dealing played a role in the shootout.

Not long afterward city police arrested a man for killing a would-be robber. The robbery victim allegedly had 30 packets of marijuana in his home. He also had a handgun, which he used to kill his assailant--who probably knew he was raiding a stash house.

Though guns played a lethal role in all these cases, it was the victims' occupation--drug trafficking--that demanded they be armed. So the police are being asked to deal with the symptom of a problem that is, at its heart, economic. And thus far there's been no police-oriented solution to the violence in Philadelphia.

Aaron Horne, a narcotics inspector, tells a story that typifies how police are responding to the wave of violence.

"We had a horrible shooting in the 12th Police District," says Horne, "and it's our policy to send a strike force team out right after that. But then, immediately afterward, we had two juveniles shot in the 17th District."

Horne split his strike force in two.

Similarly, for roughly three years now according to first deputy commissioner Pat Fox, police have designated certain intersections "priority corners."

These corners aren't named publicly, and a Police Department spokesperson refused to reveal them. PW has, however, obtained lists of the named priority corners over most of the past two years. PW also obtained an internal police memorandum, declaring these corners are named priorities in response to homicides, shootings, robberies and narcotics activity.

The lists show that while some corners are named a priority right after a shooting and then removed after a week or two, others linger on the list for more than a year.

Patrick Carr, a Rutgers University sociologist, has talked to drug dealers, and says city leaders should look for the "root causes" of the violence epidemic. He asserts that people involved in street crime are more likely to become victims of violence and five times more likely to own or have access to a handgun. And the dominant street crime, says Carr, is drug trafficking, which he calls "the major employer" in many neighborhoods.

"It's politically expedient," says Carr, "for the mayor, for the police commissioner to say Harrisburg won't pass gun laws. But what are the things that are really driving this? Why is there a vibrant narcotics trade? Demand--that's part--and also because there's nothing else for these kids to seize upon as a viable opportunity."

Carr's thinking recalls the kid on Westmoreland Street. The wheelie he performed was a teenager's attempt to call attention to himself. And isn't that what all kids want--the chance to see themselves as vibrant and powerful and living at the heart of things? In their quest to live this dream, many will turn to slinging product.

And many of them will die doing it.

What follows is a list of the city's top 10 drug corners.

This list should be considered as imperfect as the city that made it possible. More than a dozen worthy candidates don't appear here.

PHILADELPHIA

10) 1600-1900 W. Wingohocking St., Tioga.

9) Fifth and Carpenter sts., Pennsport.

8) 52nd and Market sts., West Philadelphia.

7) A and Westmoreland sts., Fairhill.

6) Bridge and Hawthorne sts., Frankford.

5) "The Box": 21st and McKean sts. to 23rd and McKean sts., north to 21st and Sigel sts. through 23rd and Sigel sts., Girard Estates.

"The corner boys put their drugs in them," says a woman who goes by Ms. Mary. "You can get fined $25 by the city just for putting out flowers."

It's a small but important measure of how profoundly a flourishing drug trade devastates a neighborhood--creating city policies that favor chaos over order, ugliness over beauty.

This North Philadelphia corridor has been on the city's priority list for 16 months straight. Typically, this means a squad car will be parked there roughly 16 hours a day. But in three visits to the site last month, no squad car appeared.

Like so many neighborhoods in North Philadelphia, the landscape includes an abandoned factory.

A trio of young men walks by around 10:30 in the morning, hoodies pulled tight around their heads. Woods says they deal drugs.

"You're looking at kids that have nothing to do," he says. "If you had the opportunity to do productive things, you might not come out here and do stupid shit."

The locals say mostly weed and crack is dealt here. The first obvious deal of the day goes down at 11:04 in front of a corner grocer.

The buyer gets the package in his hand, then takes a few steps away before looking down to make sure he got what he paid for.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 21 percent.

>> Priciest home: One house in the 1700 block sold for $37,000 in 2006; conversely, another home sold for just $8,000 in 2006.

>> Shootings in 2006: eight, all within a couple of blocks.

9.) Fifth and Carpenter sts., Pennsport.

"There is some open-air dealing, but South Philly mostly seems about delivery," says an undercover narcotics cop who's worked the area more than five years.

Why are open-air markets most prevalent in North Philadelphia? Activist sources say the unrelenting poverty, along with the tradition of open-air drug dealing, lends itself to a more brazen approach. South Philadelphia has more mixed-income neighborhoods, which helps keep drug activity on the down low.

One recent morning two men stood at one of the city's few remaining payphones at Fifth and Washington. They dialed numbers from a white sheet of paper, and engaged in eight separate conversations, each lasting only seconds.

A police patrol car sat nearby.

Fifth and Carpenter was named a police priority corner in August 2005, and according to documents hasn't been left off the list since.

When the men moved away from the phone they walked up to Fifth and Carpenter and met with a trio of men that had been standing in front of an abandoned building for 30 minutes.

The men spoke, then fanned out in different directions. Police say these movements are indicative of a delivery service.

Horne says police surveillance protocol would likely require 10 officers to sit on that spot--with two cops to follow each suspect.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 34.7 percent.

>> Priciest home: $230,000, with several others going for more than $150,000 in the last two years.

>> Shootings in 2006: According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's interactive online map--zero at the corner itself, though there were four scattered across the surrounding blocks.

8.) 52nd and Market sts., West Philadelphia.

"I'm gonna get high all day," shouts an attractive young girl walking west from 52nd and Market.

Her friend laughs and then stops short after seeing a stranger over her shoulder.

"Oh shit," she says.

"You here to bust me?" says the girl who was just hollering about getting high.

She pauses in the street, then cocks her head to one side. "Mmm," she says, looking at the stranger, "I wanna lick that bald head all up."

She gets a smile in response.

"Let me lick that bald head!" she shouts.

A few seconds later she and her friend disappear inside a door marked "WATER ICE." Whoever opens the door for them locks it after they enter. Over the course of an hour or so several people approach the door, knock and gain admittance. Each time the door is immediately locked.

What's going on?

"Who the hell knows?" replies Thomas Hannah laughing. "There's so much shit going on out here."

In a recent story in the Daily News, Hannah's bar, the Corral, was pinpointed by police as a major problem along the notorious 52nd and Market strip, which sits directly under the El.

"What can I do?" says Hannah.

He says dealers get arrested with drugs in his bar when they run inside to hide from the cops. He says a young man got shot after running inside his bar to escape assailants.

Drug transactions go on from 52nd and Market west to the corner of Lindenwood and at 53rd. Locals say there's no heroin--just crack and weed.

Some people seem to get special service. One man teeters off the stairs connecting the sidewalk to the tracks of the El and hands a brown paper bag to a young man. The young man, hoodie pulled up tight around his head, takes the bag, goes inside a nearby storefront, and emerges again within a few seconds. He hands the same bag back to the man, who immediately heads up the stairs.

In 90 minutes here, where the 16th, 18th and 19th police districts intersect, not a single police car passes by.

"I think the police need to do a better job," says Hannah, a retired Philadelphia cop with 20 years on the force. "They act like there wouldn't be a drug problem if this bar wasn't here. But come on, man! Look at it."

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 19.1 percent.

>> Priciest home: The block is virtually all commercial, but a row house with office space sold here for $120,000 in 2005.

7.) A and Westmoreland sts., Fairhill.

This has been a priority corner since January, but in March 2003 PW documented troubles here with a story about drug dealing in and around a takeout restaurant called Joy Chinese & American Food.

In that story police Capt. Thomas Nestel described the failure to stop drug dealing there "an embarrassment."

Now, with a patrol car parked at the corner, the dealers pick up and move to the nearby corner of Kip and Ontario.

According to Gregory Bucceroni, a captain with Men United for a Better Philadelphia, cries of "Wet! Wet!" alert passers-by to the opportunity to buy weed soaked in embalming fluid.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 43.3 percent.

>> Priciest home: Most homes here sold for somewhere in the mid-20s to the 30s, but one in the 100 block of East Westmoreland Street sold for $65,000 in 2005.

>> Shootings in 2006: Three people shot within a block, and plenty more in the surrounding area.

6.) Bridge and Hawthorne sts., Frankford.

According to Jeff Deeney, a caseworker for formerly homeless families, this corner's been hot the last couple of months with hustlers selling crack and weed. Deeney's been chronicling the city's drug trade in a series of nonfiction shorts for the website Phawker.

"The neighbors I know live under an uneasy peace with the young boys on the block," writes Deeney of the Bridge and Hawthorne area, "making the necessary concessions that come with life around a crime-ridden corner."

He tells of a woman who used to park her van there until one day she went to the grocery store and was headed off by a kid from down the street. He told her not to move it.

At Bridge and Hawthorne drug dealers operating around a Chinese takeout scattered when a PW photographer took their picture.

Two days later the action was on a row home stoop in an adjacent block of Hawthorne, and at another row home a block away at the corner of Duffield and Bridge.

James, a retired ex-Marine who asked that only his first name be published, told of a conversation he'd had with a Middle Eastern grocer on Hawthorne. "He said this guy come in shot, the front of his chest all covered in blood. We hear gunshots here all the time. Pop! Pop! Pop!"

Because drug dealers take over the street at night, he stays inside. "I used to sit on the porch," he says. "But those guys around the Chinese store do more business than Rite Aid or Eckerd."

The area, located in the 15th Police District, is a good example of how drug dealing has spread toward the Northeast. As one undercover cop working the area says, "We've got activity in places we never had before. The whole corridor of Summerdale Avenue from the Boulevard to Devereaux is infested."

5.) "The Box": 21st and McKean sts. to 23rd and McKean sts., north to 21st and Sigel sts. through 23rd and Sigel sts., Girard Estates.

There may be less open-air drug dealing in South Philadelphia, but according to one undercover cop, drug sales are prominent at 20th and Dickinson, 21st and Reed, 23rd and Tasker, 24th and Morris, 21st and McKean, and 21st and Sigel.

"Otherwise," he says, "it's mostly about delivery services here. And mostly people are selling crack, though there is some weed."

Community activist Samuel Porter advises people to look at parts of South Philadelphia as opposed to individual corners. He outlines a "box" running from 21st and McKean to 23rd Street and along a corresponding line on Sigel Street.

22nd & Mifflin

Both of those corridors turn up frequently in the priority-corner lists, though neither has appeared there so far in 2007. The Inquirer map lists roughly 10 shootings in the box and another dozen in the area immediately surrounding it.

In several trips through the area, the drug activity did seem scarcer and more mobile than in North Philadelphia. But fear among residents is just as palpable.

One senior citizen says he sees drugs being dealt and hears gunshots frequently. When asked for his name, he declines and amends his earlier comments. "I never see anything," he says. "I really don't."

A woman who wants to go by "A.D." and lives in the 2100 block of McKean says she long ago moved her furniture away from the windows to lessen her chances of being shot.

"Can you believe that?" she says. "I paid for this house but can't live in it the way I want."

She says drug dealers are always on the move. "They got cell phones, pagers, and they don't stay in one place for very long."

Near 7 p.m. she needs to go inside. "The sun's setting," she says. "And I'd like to see you again, so you should leave too before it gets dark."

>> Poverty level (21st and McKean), 2000 Census: 26.2 percent.

>> Priciest homes: One two-story row house went for $45,000 in 2001; another sold for $37,500 last June.

4.) 17th and Jefferson sts., Poplar.

This North Philadelphia block is legendary for "pancakes and syrup," a potent mixture of codeine-based cough medicine and Xanax.

Twenty-five years ago the brew was considered a specialty narcotic for drug dealers themselves because not everyone could afford the initial $60 price tag for a high. But in short order the drug was marketed in budget-sized $10 bottles.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia website includes a description of the drug, comparing its high to that of heroin, and noting that from January to July 1987 the coroner's office received "19 fatalities due to this particular combination of drugs."

Rapper Beanie Sigel has called syrup his "twist." And the market for it is still alive and well. On a recent visit dealers were operating along a three-block stretch of 17th Street that encompassed West Master, West Jefferson and West Oxford. "You going to be high soon," one dealer said to an approaching customer, who reached out his hand to cop.

At the corner of 17th and West Master, a young man on foot slapped hands with a dealer. The dealer came away from the meeting with money in his hand, flashing green as he passed it to an older man who was making a show of holding all the cash.

At 17th and West Oxford a van rolled up and a thin hand reached out and handed something to one of the corner men, who then backed away from the vehicle. Then one of the other men walked up and passed something to the driver, who hit the gas and rolled away.

The number of shootings along this strip is surprisingly small, according to the Inquirer's map. But as one former dealer observed, "If you're running a business, you're going to avoid shooting right there. You're going to try to find the guy you're looking for when he's someplace else."

It could also be due to the age of the men dealing here. The sellers along this avenue appear to be the oldest of any corner on this list by far. The syrup is evidently still pouring through the hands of the old-heads who created it.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 68 percent.

>> Priciest home: An apartment building on the block sold for $225,000 last year; a three-story row home sold for $41,500 in 2005.

3.) Fifth and Westmoreland sts., Fairhill.

People enter and leave the Chinese takeout on this corner in seconds, emerging without any sign of having purchased food or drink. One woman, her eyes sunken and face drawn, does come out with something balled tightly in her hand.

The drug market was open during four of five visits. Community activist Gregory Bucceroni says the menu here includes crack and heroin.

The existence of this particular drug market is perhaps most notable because it sits directly across the street from a Police Athletic League center at 3201 N. Fifth St.

The proximity to the police-affiliated center doesn't seem to dissuade the dealers.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 56.7 percent.

>> Priciest home: Most go for half the price, but one home here sold for $62,000 last year.

2.) Third and Indiana sts., Fairhill.

This spot marks the entrance to a narcotics strip mall that runs all the way west beyond Fifth to the corner of Reese and Indiana. In six trips here over the last six months at least one of these corners was always in business.

The existence of drug dealing on Indiana has been well documented, starting with former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez's novel Third and Indiana, right through to multiple specials on Nightline.

A website that connects drug users nationwide refers to the Badlands, as this area is known, numerous times. (On the site, Philadelphia is tied with Baltimore for the top spot in an online poll of the most open-air dope spots.)

Here the streets are littered with trash, businesses are few, and the ones that do exist--including yet another Chinese takeout--often serve as sheltering spaces for the dealers.

How bad is it?

One day last month, as the temperature hovered in the high 40s, more than two dozen dealers worked these corners, the buzz of commerce equal to that of a farmers' market or a street bazaar.

The prospect of getting caught seemed so remote to the dealers and buyers that they didn't even bother to palm the plastic baggies in their hands.

Despite the overt open-air dealing here and the regularity of violence, Third and Indiana was named a police priority corner for just two weeks, both last July.

>> Poverty level, 2000 Census: 64.6 percent.

>> Priciest home: One two-story row home here went for $62,000, but most homes in this block went for far less--including a 2005 sale for $14,800.

>> Shootings in 2006: eight along this corridor.

1.) Kensington and Somerset sts., Kensington.

A man in boots and a denim jacket shakes a pill bottle at passers-by. Another man performs walk-up car service, doing a drug deal with two young men in baseball caps who roll up in a Civic.

This spot, under the El along heavily trafficked Kensington Avenue, has been a well-known heroin market for decades.

During a visit here last month it was easy to pick out the guy in charge of the street operation. A stocky dude in a hoodie, he never made a transaction himself. But guys who were making transactions continually drifted back to hand him money they'd collected.

After about an hour an older man arrived at the corner of Kensington and Somerset. He and the hoodie dude went for a walk, starting out north on Kensington, and were followed by a reporter. They turned east on Hart Lane, walking fast, and after momentarily disappearing from sight when turning north on Ruth Street, they emerged a few seconds later and followed another side street all the way back to Somerset.

They crossed back and forth as they walked, from one side of the street to the other, for no apparent purpose. And when they turned east on Somerset, retreating farther from the famous Kensington corner, the man in the hoodie nodded at another young man and ran his hand slowly over his head.

That man started toward the reporter, who'd been about a block behind the dealers and who now turned and started moving away.

Just then a young mother on the street cracked her son so hard the sound echoed off nearby row houses. The little boy's mouth opened, and for a few seconds he cried silently until he forced a wail up and out from his belly. His crying came in great sobs that arced high and reached impossible notes before crashing down in a series of low, guttural moans. Every time it seemed like he'd stopped, he'd start again. His crying--and the possibility of seeing a gun--chased the reporter all the way up the street.

�

Additional reporting by Anthony Porter.

Steve Volk (svolk@philadelphiaweekly.com) began covering the city's drug trade in 2002. This is the first in a series of stories on city drug corners.

Update

In our Aug. 24, 2011, issue, you will find Top 10 Drug Corners: 2011 Edition. In it, Steve Volk goes back to the streets to report on the state of our city's drug trade. Click here for a slideshow of the new Top 10.

COMMENTS

Comments 1 - 275 of 275

1. Teresa said... on Oct 1, 2008 at 02:43PM

“That was a great story. I really enjoyed reading it. I grew up in Kensington, I would be afraid to walk down the very street I lived on which was "E" street by tioga. I wish I could take my children to see the house I lived in but I am scared for their safety”

2. rome said... on Nov 29, 2008 at 12:44PM

“that is the block where shit is poppin money and guns the streets are littered w needles and the tears of mothers who have lost their children.souls are lost to those blocks and to the lure of easy money or cheap highs...just a thought...........rome”

3. Q-deezy said... on Jan 5, 2009 at 12:19AM

“I know this deal all too well, I am from Port Richmond(the higher echelon of kensington), but recently moved to San Diego just to get my family away from the bullshit that surrounds this city. Out here in Cali , it is so different, very pleasant.”

4. billy Q said... on Jan 21, 2009 at 07:48PM

“im looking to get a pound of tree for 900-1000 dollars ”

5. guapo said... on Jan 31, 2009 at 10:38AM

“no one is going to give you shit. but i want a brick of smack for 230.”

6. reds said... on Feb 4, 2009 at 04:21PM

“5 th and indy runs from 3rd and indy to 5th and indy and we keep peace i move mountains to stop the gun s”

7. HURDINFOOL said... on Feb 9, 2009 at 01:48PM

“i was down jasper and orleans yesterday, good stuff”

8. smackhead said... on Feb 18, 2009 at 07:01PM

“Don King is some of the best shit out right now.”

9. scarface said... on Feb 22, 2009 at 05:01AM

“I up the bid to 275 if its good
it aint like it was in philly 10 years ago”

10. Twitch said... on Mar 2, 2009 at 12:36PM

“kensington and somerset is pretty much just for works references to where to go...youll get beat for whatever youre lookin for if u dont know whats goin on.”

11. missin kensington said... on Mar 17, 2009 at 01:33AM

“damn that neighborhood went down quick as hell, i remember going to hoagies plus,rambler field,the carnivals every year at harrogate plaza, swimming and ice skating at scanlon,shopping on K&A,roller skating every friday night at K&A roller rink and the dance they had saturday nights,playing freedom/halphies and kickball now it's a dump, so many houses are empty or falling apart, i remember walking down all those little streets off kensington ave and now i don't even wanna drive down there. Im only 27years old and it was fine when i graduated from 8th grade, thats not that long ago so all of you sellin "stuff" all i have to say is get a real job cause your the reason this whole city is a dump so next time someone you care about is robbed,killed,raped whatever it is, remember its all your fault”

12. Anonymous said... on Mar 26, 2009 at 07:11AM

“I am social worker who serves clients in nearly half of these areas. It's not just the kids that are desperate, it's adults and it is blatant. You are loosing this fight Philadelphia. The only roll models these kids see are older teens and young men who sell/deal or the old guys who work three jobs and are tired every minute of their lives.”

13. Anonymous said... on Mar 27, 2009 at 05:53PM

“The insane thing is that the cops, the residents, the dealers, the junkies all know what is going on and yet it's almost like nothing can be done. Police see you parked up waiting for your connect and it's business as usual. I mean the police obviously realize that trying to bother people doing hand to hand transactions will make no impact so it feels like the police are guarding you while you cop in the "badlands". It just amazes me how well documented the corners and the problem is but because it's in a poor black neighborhoods it doesn't really matter to anyone. It goes without saying that if this were in a white area, the whole situation would be over in less than a year and not continuing for decades. The "war on drugs" is just a war on blacks and latinos while the white drug users watch from the sidelines. I regret having added to this at one point but I realize now that we need to solve the drug problem and violence in a way we have never tried or even thought of before because the WOD doesn't work!”

14. Anonymous said... on Apr 19, 2009 at 02:45AM

“Philly is bad but i mean is it that bad? you'll find drug dealers in any city you go to, youll also find guns, murders, rapist, ect... so why is everyone talkin down about the city of brotherly love.. i mean latley it hasnt lived up to the name but the econmy is so messed up you cant make a buck unless you do something illeagel, im talking about the average philadelphian, my dad raises 3 boys has 2 cathloic school tutions, and worrks 5-6 days a week and still strugles, so what are we suppose to do”

15. Anonymous said... on Apr 19, 2009 at 02:45AM

“Philly is bad but i mean is it that bad? you'll find drug dealers in any city you go to, youll also find guns, murders, rapist, ect... so why is everyone talkin down about the city of brotherly love.. i mean latley it hasnt lived up to the name but the econmy is so messed up you cant make a buck unless you do something illeagel, im talking about the average philadelphian, my dad raises 3 boys has 2 cathloic school tutions, and worrks 5-6 days a week and still strugles, so what are we suppose to do”

16. Gratefull said... on Apr 22, 2009 at 05:16PM

“Reading this article brought me back to when i was in active additcion. I used to cop dope at fith and indy and things got bad. I know i did not want to die and i know i could not stop using, so i got some help. I've been clean for 14 months now and it was not easy but life is so much better today. No stress about how to find money or look for someone to rob, just a nice peaceful exsitence. So to anyone out there who thinks they can't do it, just give it a chance because going on until the bitter end is no way to live. So take it from this former junkie, there is a soulution.”

17. PApride said... on May 1, 2009 at 11:33AM

“I lived at 5th and Washington for 10 years. Its horrible. Way worse than Harlem, southside Chicago, Liberty City Miami, SE DC, or anywhere else I've been. Fix it.”

18. Anonymous said... on May 13, 2009 at 09:57AM

“Great Article!!!If Philadelphia police officers would help and protect things could be alot better!! But its sad to say you have members of the Philadelphia Police force who takes advantage of there badge and are involved with drugs!!! They hide behind the badge black mail others so they aren't exposed! NUTTER try getting these crooked cops off the street!!! Philadelphia is horrible right now! Kids are doing the things they do because they have nothing else to do but get into trouble! How can u take away Libraries, Swimming pools, recreations centers???? WE need these things to keep our children active!!! Everything for the less fortunte children are taken away!!! Jobs, schools, recreation... everything needed your taking!! Im not making excuse but come on!! Then when they are arrested companies will not give them jobs so again there back on the corners trying to survive! I have questioned guys and asked you they have turned to the streets and I am always told because of there past their always denied jobs, finanicial aid for school, any and everything! Major NUTTER does nothing but bash the poor community!”

19. Anonymous said... on May 17, 2009 at 11:40AM

“It's a laugh reading some of these comments bashing the cops, the mayor, drugs, anyone or anything but the people who perpetrate the crimes. Y'all don't get it. It starts with the parents (or lack of parents), friends and relatives, who teach kids the wrong values, the wrong way to think and wrong way to deal with problems. We need to leave alone the stupid rap CDs, bullying and gangs, guns, empty materialism (name brand clothes, cars, cell phones, weaves, sports jerseys, electronics, etc.) taking offense and being offended (dissed and dissin'), always acting self righteous (better than thou), always trying to prove you're right and everyone else is wrong, holding grudges, getting revenge, not snitching, etc.

We all need to chill, everyone makes mistakes, even you and me. Once you start with that and cut each other slack then things get clearer and calmer. Stop looking to hate and stop hatin'. Philly could be the nicest, coolest, cleanest city in the world but too many people worried about stupid sh*t more than doing the right thing. Just because someone else is doing wrong and acting the fool doesn't excuse you for doing some dumb sh*t in reponse. We all have a part in the solution, acting ignorant is part of the problem not part of the solution. Be the person you think everyone else should be and help get out of the city the people who do dumb sh*t like shoot each other with guns. Stop lookin' for reasons to hate! Educate yourself with that and give a damn about your neighborhood and your city. One definition of mental illness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need to bring the change ourselves starting with each one of us.”

20. PHILLYBAW said... on Jun 2, 2009 at 12:34AM

“5th & Washington is no way near as bad as Harlem or South Side Chitown...you gotta be fuckin kidding!!! there's a park and the PJ's....fall back you noodle!!! your probably from damn Jersey or some shit that comes to the 215 to cop your diesel.....5th & Washington....HA!! I bet you used to live on 5th & Hope too huh? fuckin clown......eat my dick up till you hiccup bitch...don't front like you know the city.....noodle!!!”

21. addict's mom said... on Jun 3, 2009 at 02:03PM

“my addict daughter started taking the bus to west philly when she was 16. after dropping out fo school, she spent most days in west philly. she started with special K, a cat tranquilizer. she has done alot of drugs since. as i write she is back in west philly addicted to heroin. she is now 31. she lost custody of her child. i am raising her. nothing is important to her but being and staying high. my daughter's mental growth stopped at 16. she is quite ill with hep c, constantly gets staph infection. her father's family is wealthy. she grew up living with him. sometimes money is the problem. right now her addiction is the problem. the longest she has gone clean is 9 months. she has spent two nine month bounds in del.co prison. childbirth, prison, family....nothing is important to her but drugs. thanks for reading i don't know what i expect by wrting this stuff sometime it feels better to get it out, thanks”

22. DAT BAW said... on Jun 14, 2009 at 01:27PM

“I grew up on 5th and westmoreland, played ball at the rec right there, and I seen a lot of drug deals go down, yna mean. The bottom line is that these young baws aint got no sense of purpose other than making fast money,trying to see who the toughest and who be throwing that shit on..I been there and done, so I know what it is, but the fact of the matter is that our country is getting weaker and weaker everyday and all we doing is making our neighborhoods even weaker. I aint even gone hold yall up, bottom line, we need to, as hold heads or whatever, raise these young bucks up right and stop being afraid to kick these kids dead in they ass when they fuck up..it's just that simple...it takes a village to raise a child. I'll get on yall later.”

23. JimG said... on Jun 16, 2009 at 09:44AM

“Great Article. Look I dont live down that way so I cant comment from experience, buit come on...The city is is debt and needs to cose such facilities as parks, rec centers, skating rinks, libraries etc...Although I wis there were other alternatives, I guess Nutter couldnt find any. Im sure they were a last resort. How can you possible say our kids need thgese things to stay out of trouble. If you need a rec center to raise your kids than you shouldt of had them in the first place. Not only that, but they just closed them recently. Did it help keep these punks out of trouble when they were open? No. be a parent and raise your kids and stop blaming everyone else. Show them something positive and stress education. You think sending them to a rec center with a bunch of other kids is going to teach them to be good people? Come on man.....”

24. ricano said... on Jun 18, 2009 at 10:20AM

“I have to say kensington & somerset is like no other block in the coty i believe...You got the junkies sellin there meds for dope...the diabetics sellin there needles for dope...and every type of race is on this block from blacks to whites...What makes it like none other to me also is when you see the white suburb boys getting off the El and being flocked by the dope boys llol”

25. Anonymous said... on Jul 8, 2009 at 02:59PM

“still go there(kensington, somerset) when my buddy and i are low on suboxone but havnt had to go take the walk up. memories make your stomach turn with butterflies but feel impowered by thier distance”

26. TUFFLOVE said... on Jul 16, 2009 at 09:36AM

“For the people that say "Oh it aint that bad" Check this out.North Philly is the worst neighborhood's in the world, That's a FACT.It's far more dangerous in NP than some 3rd world countries.Also for all the addicts on here bragging about what dope is good and bad.Who Cares! Great you know where to score HEROIN!That's not cool! There are people reading this article are saying to themselves, "Well we know who brings our city down" It is you morons praising the names stamped on them blue bags. Have some respect for yourself and clean your lives up and stop asking:Is there any Rock around Rhawn Street?The guy who made that comment...Yo Cuz,! Check yourself straight in to Rehab or call BHSI.If you don't know BHSI. It's a free grant funded by the state of PA that helps addicts get clean for free if you do not have Health Insurance.Because the people that are blogging on this site about active drug using. The next thing your selling, is the computer that's sitting in front of you!!! TUFFLOVE”

27. brooklyn said... on Aug 11, 2009 at 12:21AM

“my best friend began chipping in her second year at drexel. we lived in farmount at the time, and she would go cop her dope behind the art museum. she would make me tag along even though she brought protection because as a white girl and a recreational heroin user, she felt really venerable. her dealer was a skinny white hipster who had an apartment on south street and sometimes he would intimidate her into buying more and more because he knew she wasnt getting hooked. eventually she took the shot that got her strung and before i knew it she had dropped out of school, spent her entire savings, spent all her parents money and started to steal. we had no choice but to kick her out of the apartment although we did set her up with some friends who were willing to give her a free room. that night, they called and asked if she was coming by and a few days later told us she never showed up. eventually we stopped looking and sort of assumed the worst. when the skinny hipster was shot to death”

28. Anonymous said... on Aug 11, 2009 at 12:25AM

“when the skinny hipster was shot to death we knew there would be no hearing or seeing from her again.

to think this problem only concerns the blacks and the latinos is just absurd. lots of peoples lives are ruined by heroin, because it doesnt know the color of your skin. all it knows is how to break the brain barrier while swimming in the blood stream.

since then i have lived in LA, portland, san fran, chicago, austin, minneapolis and now i reside in NYC. drugs don't know geography and end up wherever the demand is. the only solution is to have zero desire to slam dope, and if you do, then i hope you can handle the ride.”

29. Wicked Jester said... on Sep 1, 2009 at 02:06PM

“I agree with a lot of the comments. I love how I sweep the crack bags from in front of my house, where my children play, only to come back from work (because I'm too stupid to try and make money slinging rock) and sweep up again because the nasty-ass smokers broke their pipe in front of my house. You have landlords renting to dealers because they can afford the outrageously high rent, when those same apartment owners can drop the rent by a few dollars and but some positive people in their buildings.

We live in a broke-ass City. Politicians stealing money that is supposed to educate our children, yet the only lessons they learn are how to deal that dope or throw them dice. Shit, it's a shame when I hear kids being able to rap about "shooting a nigga" but they can't tell me how to spell "Nigeria", "Niagra", or even "Nile".”

30. Anonymous said... on Sep 6, 2009 at 09:56PM

“i have 19 months clean and going strong. everyone and their brother knows about inidiana. and its not just indiana. its like anywhere within 10 blocks of that corner is a spot. the entire fairhills section is one big dope/rock spot. that area feels like an alternate universe. i remember being there one day and making a realization that if something were to happen to me, if i were to get jumped, stabbed, shot or whatever, not one person would help me. people would just go in their homes and close their doors. they wouldnt even call the police or an ambulance. its the scariest neighborhood ive ever been to. and ive been to just about every spot listed on this list except frankford and 23rd/ mk kean.

i was one of those white kids jumping out of nice cars copping dope, rock weed whatever. we thought it was so cool to be able to cop in the city in the worst parts. we were so stupid and immature. sometimes i do miss the thrill and danger.”

31. G said... on Sep 16, 2009 at 04:01PM

“It will never stop, Kensington is a Zombie Land and everyone knows it...u either doing or making...weed, wet, coke, pills, dope, crack whateva u want u can get...we now have perverts running around tryna snatch kids...That is the Hades of the city u betta believe.....G'”

32. BayAreatoPhilly said... on Sep 24, 2009 at 11:33AM

“Things will change, and it's up to all to initiate action within oneself, in your homes and then take it to the street to pass the baton to your neighbors. We've got to violently love one another and violently rebuild the crumbling infrastructure of our home, Philadelphia. Drug dealers can try their best to make my streets their trade center and we'll see how long that'll last. The people shall have the first and last word, and I know we will prevail. I'm not giving up hope that this bull will cease. I'm going to see to it. Never giving up hope w/ the power we as a people have to take something that's been abused and destroyed, and turn it into our favor and recreate it to something even Greater. We can do it Philly, we can do it.

From an optimistic realist from the lovely Bay Area of California, now residing in NE Philly... I know that change is soon to manifest.

These dealers will be ousted, condemned and dealt with, and their time will run out very soon.”

33. Anonymous said... on Oct 3, 2009 at 12:12PM

“Yeah, Kensington and Somerset is hilarious. I grew up near there. I used to cop at Helen and Somerset, which is right down the street. Parts of the mostly white neighborhoods east of Kensington and Front are a very good reminder that drugs and crime aren't just a racial problem, but a class problem.

There have been drug corners along Cedar Street between York and Lehigh (in a traditionally working-class neighborhood) for years, especially before the gentrification. Guys selling in front of the laundromat, coke dealers at the bars. And shit, fuck the gentrification...dope peddlers are on corners further west, where hipsters are buying houses for 250 gs.

With Kensington and Fishtown being gentrified, along with parts of North Philly, poor (white, black, whatever) people are getting pushed into the Northeast. It used to be that anyone from Fishtown or Kensington with a decent job moved to Mayfair. Now? Eh.”

34. Clean addict said... on Oct 5, 2009 at 05:26PM

“Everyone cops and otherwise know the deal. Its like a sick dance between cops and users. The Truth is as long as there is the phenomena of "craving" it will never stop. As long as the Dealers (some of them users themselves) get money and it looks more attractive than 3 jobs to pay rent alone it will never stop! I have first hand experince from every location on this list and others not mentioned. I am very lucky to know I need help and can not do it alone. I've done this for 16 years and i'm only 24! With speratic sobriety. I am struggling to stay on the clean streak I am on now to never use again one day! I now live in the western suburbs of the city 45 min. away and its even bad out here and my craving just to be in the city is still outrageous but I really dont want to and am doing everything I can to stay clean and sober. I just pray that someone can get something from what I wrote. I thank god everyday for this gift. if you need anything just email me.”

35. sdff said... on Oct 30, 2009 at 07:53AM

“my best friend began chipping in her second year at drexel. we lived in farmount at the time, and she would go cop her dope behind the art museum. she would make me tag along even though she brought protection because as a white girl and a recreational heroin user, she felt really venerable. her dealer was a skinny white hipster who had an apartment on south street and sometimes he would intimidate her into buying more and more because he knew she wasnt getting hooked. eventually she took the shot that got her strung and before i knew it she had dropped out of school, spent her entire savings, spent all her parents money and started to steal. we had no choice but to kick her out of the apartment although we did set her up with some friends who were willing to give her a free room. that night, they called and asked if she was coming by and a few days later told us she never showed up. eventually we stopped looking and sort of assumed the worst. when the skinny hipster was shot to death”

“WINGOHOCKING Street is a black hole. The young guys around there sell every kind of drug possible. you want to find out for yourself and around Nicetown. They will fix you right up.”

38. Anonymous said... on Dec 19, 2009 at 01:36AM

“Wow... must that the article was cool, but some (not all) of the comments are making me sick, and said. We gotta stop with the "cops suck," "war on the black community," bullshit.My favorite was "if this happened in a white neighborhood, the cops would stop it in a heartbeat." Well, guess what? That's the whole point! This kind of shit doesn't happen in those places. I have lived in many major cities in the US, and let's face it, we all know that the shitty neighborhoods are we're blacks and hispanics live. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great non-white neighborhoods, but the BAD ass places are always almost all black.

If all ten of those corners were turned into Armani stores tomorrow, the losers would just find new locations... We all know that..the cops cant fix the problem, it has to come from the family, taking responsibility for your actions, etc.

It will only change when kids know that such behavior will not be tolerated, and is not cool.”

39. lalaw said... on Dec 19, 2009 at 10:14AM

“Yeah anonymous, believe the bullshit about drugs and drug-related violence not happening in white neighborhoods. It's people lile you who are in denial and allow for this problem to fester in all neighborhoods. And yeah, most of the culprits may be minority, but I'll tell you wht, a lot of the buyers are from the 'burbs, and the PWT sections of this city - Kensington, Port Richmond, Fishtown - and all you have to do is drive through those areas on a hot summer night to see who is doing what. I remember one weekend in the summer of '95 or '96, on the eastside, mainly in Kensington and Fishtown, there was a rash of OD's from some bad heroin. I believe over 300 people in one wekend, which overwhelmed the EMS system. And most of the victims were PWT. Go figure!”

40. thehugeitive said... on Jan 4, 2010 at 01:29PM

“1) Legalize marijuana and use the tax revenue to pull our country out of debt.2) Seal up the border between the US & Mexico..spare NO EXPENSE to make this a reality. Mexico is the main source of drugs in the US. If you want to enter this country, do so legally. LAND MINES WERE CREATED FOR A REASON. 3) Use the revenue from marijuana sale to:a) beef up city police forcesb) rehabilitate drug usersc) train workersd) create jobse) give our urban schools MORE resources

”

41. Anonymous said... on Jan 14, 2010 at 12:00PM

“lalaw said.: That stuff you were talking about was called SUPER BUICK. You can go down to Port Richmond Memphis & Clearfield and get any kind of drug you want. Years ago there were a group of all WHITE guys down there that would FUCK You up if you sold drugs on that corner. Now most of them guys either moved out of the area, are dead or in jail. Drugs are all over the city. The only thing that is hard to get in the city is LSD.”

42. Anonymous said... on Feb 4, 2010 at 07:45PM

“Legalize marijuana and crime would go down and are legal system wouldnt be so fucked up and our prison system that is over crowed the way it is would be any more, if all the people who are locked up for weed wouldnt be there any more. Just saying legalize it and our gov. and tax dollars wouldnt go to waist any more that shit. and ppl that sell weed would go out of business too would it being legalized it would drive the price down.

Just sayin it would fix a lot of our problems here”

43. Anonymous said... on Feb 5, 2010 at 05:14PM

“dealin is just a way to make money. The cash is great but the life suck, but the money is to good to walk away from.”

44. phishscale215 said... on Feb 17, 2010 at 09:06PM

“im a hood whiteboy born in H.P. and ran down the way all my life. fairhill n luzern was where i lived and that was the biggest weed spot in the city by far. All indy and diamond and cambria westmoreland al;l the badlands are sooooo off the fucking hook. Badlands are the worst hood in entire country. I been to chi,la.detroit,miami and memphis hoods. AND NONE ARE CLOSE! all the other cities have gangs(crips etc) killadelph has none or this city would be off the record books. If we had a real gang infested city we would break 1000 murders a year cause r city is ontop of eachother with wild raging lunatic gunslinger stick up boys and stone cold killers. This city is already super buck wild. And it was worse in the late 80's early 90's. And dont forget butler and pike sts back in the day. HOOD MILLIONAIRES! This is the wildest city in the nation! without punk ass crips an bloods.”

45. Anonymous said... on Mar 10, 2010 at 07:25PM

“this city is ............say no more!”

46. Anonymous said... on Mar 23, 2010 at 05:00PM

“ive lived at frankford and tioga for 30 years. the drug dealers know you live there, dont bother them they wont bother you. its fucking philly that goes for every neighborhood!”

47. Tim Keller said... on Mar 24, 2010 at 11:31AM

“This city is going to downhill fast. I write about it all the time on my blog if you get a chance check it outhttp://everydaywithkeller.weebly.com/index.html”

48. Anonymous said... on Apr 7, 2010 at 07:04PM

“if u at summerset early in the morning the delars give free samples of the killer dope of the day.dont try buying rite under the ell u will get beat. pay a junkie a few bucks to take u ware the good dope is. and a rule dont buy dope off of black guys or white . it is most off the time crap. stick wit the poppys. and if the cops stop u just be honest thay dont want to do paper work .dumping ur dope out on the groung is better then going to jail. just a few tips fer new bees”

49. Jesus said... on Apr 11, 2010 at 12:43PM

“Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." The light will always conquer the darkness. Just ask Him to reveal Himself to you and He will show you who He is. Life is about choices. Choose Jesus Christ and from this day forward your life will never be the same. He will give you something to look forward to positively, each and every day. Jesus already paid the price and "by his stripes we are saved." The fight has already been won. Read Ephesians chapter 4 and you will see exactly what the battle is that we are fighting. It also explains how to wear your armour. Choose Jesus Christ”

50. Anonymous said... on Apr 18, 2010 at 06:58PM

“i am glad that i got off this bull shit! dope could have killed me so many times but i was lucky! now i am on mathadone! i am on 30 mg! its very low ! but even that is bad! drugs fucked my life up! i was shooting dope at 15 yaers of age! some of my friends did same sh.. now they dead do to this dope bull shittt!! so evry body DONT DO THIS BULL S.. THINK OF how can y progress in life ! dope only will drag you to jail or morg.. get out while you can! if y ready to get out go to SOUR methadone clinic in NE. this clinic is best for recovery! its small and doesnt have all that bull that goes own at the other jonss!!think of your loved ones! its not just you who is going down the drain! its also your closeset family! your mom and dad will cry silent in ther room! i went htrouth that! i will never forgive my self for the shit i done to my loved ones! please stop before its to late-its not just saying..!! trust me”

51. Agony said... on Apr 24, 2010 at 02:29PM

“That's funny that people say drugs aren't in the white suburbs. Haha, yeah, right!They may not sell drugs on street corners but believe me, they are in the white suburbs, too.”

52. Anonymous said... on Apr 24, 2010 at 04:58PM

““That's funny that people say drugs aren't in the white suburbs. Haha, yeah, right!They may not sell drugs on street corners but believe me, they are in the white suburbs, too.”

Correct, they sell them at store's called Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens.”

53. Anonymous said... on Apr 30, 2010 at 08:59AM

“Great list. I'm amused by the many opinoins on how to fix things. This is all by design. The city of philadelphia, as with most other large cities are beyond repair. Let it rot, and burn to the ground.”

54. Anonymous said... on May 5, 2010 at 10:52PM

“Try living in the murder capital of the world and being mexican.. try living in Juarez Mexico...”

55. Anonymous said... on May 23, 2010 at 07:53PM

“interesting article, philly is bad in parts but you are going to have those problems in ANY city. I recently moved to a classy apartment complex in Pittsburgh and still have prostitutes and drug deals on my corner, sad to say but it's becoming the norm nowadays.”

56. Anonymous said... on Jun 4, 2010 at 10:29AM

“This article is very empowering. I teach and go to grad school in North Phily, my gym is in South philly. It's important we know where the dangerous neighborhoods are. More importantly, as an inner-city 7th grade teacher, its important that I understand where my students are coming from. I am sure the 140 students I teach encounter these corners, drug dealers, and crime daily. Education and inspirational mentors are key in cleaning up this town. On top of it all, my father died of heroin 5 years ago, this article has hit home on so many levels. Thank you!”

57. Anonymous said... on Jun 14, 2010 at 07:39PM

“drug corners are a problem, but even those of us not involved in drugs cross dangerous corners every single day. women are raped weekly and sometimes killed. two weeks ago a young girl was raped and strangled 2 blocks away from my apartment. violence doesn't just stem from drugs. young women can't go anywhere in this city anymore. such a shame”

58. Anonymous said... on Jun 16, 2010 at 08:24AM

“the # 1 spot in the list is getting better... a lot of cops are here, churches are here and seen new people renovating houses here too. so let's hope for the better.. for everyone. a lot of people here looks like they need help...”

59. Anonymous said... on Jun 20, 2010 at 01:22AM

“'Member when "Fairhill" & Luzerne/Lycoming used to be the shizzle back in the 90's. It was like a drive-thru carwash business with all cars lined up down the block waiting to buy at the end of the block. One time, the line was so long, it tied up traffic on Luzerne, a block away! But that's when I knew things were getting crappy b/c they were selling weed in vials which I found out years later that it was that wet crap. Avoid weed in vials, plastic or glass. In fact, I wouldn't buy anything off the street, especially as you age. Must know inside house deals, and that's it with well reputable dealer(s).”

60. GoToADrugRehab said... on Jul 4, 2010 at 11:39AM

“I was not surprised at all to see that kensington and somerset was #1. It is a god damn zoo there. You can't even wait for public transportation without people coming up to you trying to sell you works. The cops know these scumbags now they need to lock them up. Everywhere you look are used needles. God forbid someone innocent steps on one and ends up with HIV or Hep C. The least they could do is clean them up. I don't think that's too much to ask. I remember one day last year when I was on the el platform and a young boy was passed out with a needle in his arm. Cops ended up coming but it looked they were too late and he was dead. People need to wisen up and get help to get off the shit that's killing them and check into a rehab because there are plenty of them out there.”

61. Anonymous said... on Jul 6, 2010 at 12:42AM

“my son died from the drugs at kensington and somerset.”

62. wish i can move said... on Jul 7, 2010 at 09:49AM

“i live at across the street from the chinese store at water and westmorland for 7 1/5 yrs. only in the summer time you see the youngens tryin to sell but thats it. its been quiet for yrs. the action on in the homes. but u never see cops. and when u do call for them they take anywher between 1-3 hrs to show, NO LIE.sometimes dont show up but if you leave everyone alone they will leave you alone. I just go to work and keep to myself. Im not there to make friends. Cant afford to move anywhere else. but There are way more places worst than here. I have fam everywhere. I lived through out philly and even though i hate my neighborhood, its not as bad as you think. So i think who ever wrote this story need to explore philly more. Try hancock and cambria or 5th & Berks or Germantown ave or anywhere near the colleges. on the other side of broad st, Hit those little streets. you cant miss them.”

63. Anonymous said... on Jul 7, 2010 at 01:55PM

“so glad im back on Methadone and not street hoppin everyday”

64. marc said... on Jul 24, 2010 at 05:33PM

“the solution would be to legalize drugs (and no, i am not a drug user). it would take the business away from criminals (and even bring tax money). demand for drugs is very price inelastic - a user will not stop using because the price of drugs go up, he/she will just try and get more money. making drugs illegal and thus raising the price just makes it more profitable for criminals. look at what happened during the prohibition. alcohol consumption did not stop (it actually went up) and criminals became rich. with street drugs nowadays it is the same. the whole situation is so frustrating. legalize drugs, control them, start treating users, use the collected tax money for programs, etc. the money spent on the war on drugs has the worst return on investment - we have the empirical evidence right here. thing is though, nobody will ever campaign for legalizing drugs as it is political suicide. its sad really.”

65. night said... on Jul 24, 2010 at 08:25PM

“get te drugs off the corners and there will be a better place”

66. Anonymous said... on Jul 29, 2010 at 09:49AM

“Legalization wouldn't really solve the problem. It would help, but really even if they were controlled substances, the dealers would find a way to make the drugs cheaper and sell them on the street. People still sell hand rolled cigarettes to bypass the taxes. The same thing would happen with real drugs.

This city needs jobs and training programs. Even then the drugs will still be there because of the demand, but at least people would have jobs. Anyone have any info on North-west Philly, I start a job there soon and like to be aware.”

67. pito said... on Aug 6, 2010 at 02:37PM

“all of 5th st is infested”

68. greg said... on Aug 9, 2010 at 09:07AM

“I agree the war on drugs is a failure and legalization would lessen the problems caused by drugs, many countries now prescribe addicts heroin and crime rates drop accordingly and over half of them are now employed because that 3 ring circus was removed from thier life ,

prohibition didnt work in the 20's and its not working now, drugs are bad no doubt about it. but prohibition is only making criminals rich and costing our police lives over something that is never going to end”

69. dave said... on Aug 9, 2010 at 12:51PM

“first of all PW please clean this page up you have some idiots posting numbers and crap which are most likely pranks and if not you are helping sell drugs to kids, second of all i commend the police and thier hard work to stem this problem but it seems that decriminalizing may be the best answer”

70. sammy said... on Aug 9, 2010 at 01:17PM

“i 100% agree dave it is very irresponsible of PW to allow phone numbers and intersections to be posted here.”

71. marc said... on Aug 12, 2010 at 04:54PM

“@anonymous 78: youre right, legalizing drugs would not solve the drug problem, just like society still has to deal with the problems cause by e.g. alcohol abuse. and there are very likely going to be drugs sold illegally just like with e.g. cigarettes or handbags nowadays. but as of now, the WHOLE billion$$$ drug industry is in the hands of criminals. we are talking people dying (not just in philadelphia and not just a few). the war on drugs, wether in your city or across the border, does not lower demand for drugs and thus just raises the prices. again though, with drug demand being very price-inelastic, the higher prices for drugs will only make users get more money (crime rate...) not stop using. its simple really. and @dave 83: i did not mention it specifically, but i too commend the police and their hard work and i wish every on of them the best. its just that the economics of the whole drug market have me thinking police force will not be able to ever solve this problem. ”

72. letmehelpnow1122 said... on Aug 20, 2010 at 02:42PM

“i played the game in the streets for years and im finaly out.my connections are still there and they have been eating since i have been away.its ok though i can erase thier christmas away anytine i feel.those dudes aint change shit,same safe houses,workers,cover,pick up spots and all is the same.i lost my contacts numbers and names so i cant get paid handing them over to the law at this time,but im still looking for them.i have the big fish in the palm of my hands.”

73. unknOwn. said... on Nov 15, 2010 at 01:48PM

“umm i live in kensinqton & has been for 18 years. to me it really aint has bad as people say it is , i walk on kensington & someret everyday all day lonq , i know everyone & everyone known. it realy as bad as other places, it aint a scary place . yess theres alot qoin on around there but it if you know eveyone & ur use to it then your find. i seen people qet shoot on my pblock due to drugs , i was there when they found that girls body on ruth st. the cops lied they didnt find her body at 9pm they found it at 3pm. everone was there . they had her body layin in the freezin cold for hours on in, they sat there and the crime scene aint come until 9 which is when they took her body. soooo whoever said the statement that she was found at 9pm was a lie & everyone around there knows that. cops lie to make themselves look good. <3”

74. Anonymous said... on Nov 17, 2010 at 05:35PM

“Anyone know where the killer dope is latley. I went up to Somerset and copped the other day but the stuff was weak as hell. WHo gots the good stuff?”

75. grnmile said... on Nov 26, 2010 at 09:14AM

“you have to remember philly is a racist city always have been,the politians don't care 2 shits about people in low income neighborhoods thats fact,and 5th carpenter was never that bad until 1982 when everyone wanted to be like tony montana.The police is unman,illequipe,and not to smart about handling the drug problem in philly.This drug shit is here to stay people!!!!!!!”

76. Anonymous said... on Dec 1, 2010 at 05:54PM

“Where is the Good, Strong Dope In Philly?”

77. Anonymous said... on Dec 8, 2010 at 09:55AM

“Fairhill. Boost is cut with Fentynal...about the strongest stamp in the last few months...thats if ur street hoppin. Get a number from a regular corner dude..buy a few times. Meet the case worker or something and get the grams before they get pressed. Methadone is prolly the best dope out there tho! For real...makes me feel waaaay bettter and its legal.”

78. Anonymous said... on Dec 15, 2010 at 04:44AM

“the good dope is in my asscrack, where i hide it from the po pos...

whenever they go to try to search me i usually shit out a nice brick”

79. Anonymous said... on Dec 17, 2010 at 06:47PM

“the crazy part is first they use the young boys to sell now they using drug addicts to do the samething and its true cops just let it happen it aint got nothing to do with rising these kids if theres a will theres a way that the streets...”

80. Anonymous said... on Dec 29, 2010 at 04:28PM

“cambria & hope - Rolex (7)swanson & somerset (where the old "poison" used to be) - night life (7-8))clearfield & ella - nickel bags of dope (8); they also have nicks of powder there too that are about a 9; 1 nick is like a dime of all the other shitclearfield & 4th - just drive down clearfield off of 5th st & make a right at the do not enter, drive a little bit and they will run up to your car, they are at the beginning of the block, don't go to the end near indy bc they are all selling bullshit (whitebags, so you know what that means!)”

81. Anonymous said... on Dec 30, 2010 at 08:57PM

“i be on kensington and somerset and i might have been that man in the hoodie i just wanna say from me those people ask for that stuff down there and we jsut trying to make a living we not shooting people and all that if yall stop harassing us we dont bother yall and we try to be courteous what about the cops who grabs us and extort us are you made at them”

82. Anonymous said... on Dec 31, 2010 at 02:53PM

“Only a dope fiend will inject a bag of heroin stamped "Toxic" on it.The problem will never be solved until crooked cops stop stealing money and dope and putting dope on people.You know who you are, M.B.They just had their busy stealing season,it' s the month on December. I hope your children and grandchildren are born retarded and bucktoothed.”

83. Anonymous said... on Jan 3, 2011 at 05:00PM

“Got a stamp called Phillies at 3rd and Indy...small count and a bundle to get right..sucked. back on suboxone”

84. Anonymous said... on Jan 9, 2011 at 01:26AM

“These people look like zombies and that is not hot!! I lived in fishtown for two years and had a neighbor who looked like the dead walking. She got so bad that she could barely leave the house and the dealers would come to her. I started to know his knock and that was pretty creepy.

The shit is lethal and kills!! stay away!”

85. Got Dat Fiya said... on Jan 11, 2011 at 12:22AM

“Good D 24/7- 267-307-5217. Not in bad area, won't get beat, Say Sully told ya to call. Ask for John. Right now sellin Pacqiou. its a 8.”

86. Anonymous said... on Jan 18, 2011 at 01:58AM

“I need to find a good powder connect someone wit good shit and that i can go through to directly... no coppin on the sets bullshit... can anyone help me out?”

87. Anonymous said... on Jan 22, 2011 at 08:41AM

“Do you know that the police were rounding up people off the streets telling them they will be arrested for drugs (though they were NOT possessing them) if you did not volunteer a dna swab sample. This is how they more than likely obtained the stranglers dna. WHEN YOU ARE RELEASED FROM STATE ROAD, THEY DO NOT TAKE A DNA SAMPLE FOR THE DATA BASE.There was no back up,they never had his dna until they scooped him in a dna roundup. Major civil rights violations”

88. Francoboy79 said... on Jan 31, 2011 at 01:19AM

“I'm a 32 y o WHITE kid from Jersey. After years of doing D, I've been clean 2.. I WAS A functional. Went to college worked two jobs, now am a successful hairstylist.. I aged my poor hard working parents 20 years.. Now I work FOR FREE for them on top of my 50 hr work week. Being productive is my new drug. Best feeling. All the D sucks.. After first few months IT'S NEVER good . last year getting high a bundle shot would give a rush that was gone b4 my cigarette was finished. My prison in my bedroom at 30 y o.. THERE is hope kids.. Now I DO for people and instead of stealing from my old neighbors, I shovel thru snow....”

89. Anonymous said... on Feb 2, 2011 at 11:03AM

“23 y/o white girl from Kensington who just finished reading this article and thinking what the fuck. I was on a two year run smokin' rock and shootin' dope and doin' dates under and EL and now I'm in Florida and I'm kinda wondering why this whole thing was published. why are you TELLING people where to go???? REALLY????? I've known people gettin' robbed, stabbed, shot, etc. just at those areas. yeah, I understand that it was for possible "smart choices" or whatever but usually the most dangerous locations = the the best shit (and everyone knows it). so yeah. and showing pictures of maps with the areas circled. REALLY???? what the fuck....you dumbass...”

90. subs work people!! said... on Feb 3, 2011 at 03:49PM

“Drugs are everywhere!!!! You just don't see them. I live right outside philly. I'm guessing within a 25 minute ride to any of these places. I'm a recovering addict and have never had to drive to these "hotspots" to score "dope" The high class drugs dealers, aka doctors, had me covered. I'm guessing I spent more money for my dope, or pills to shoot, and this is where I would have ended up at. There are hundreds of pain docs surrounding philly. And dont get me started on Florida!!!!! This country does not run on dunkin. It runs on OPIATES!!!!!”

91. John Street's Great-Nephew said... on Feb 10, 2011 at 02:45PM

“This has to be the most entertaining comments section I've read on the internet in a hot minute LOL

I saw Allen Iverson cop on Kensington & Somerset (it wasn't weed) lastyear during his last season with the Sixers. It was a sad site. Bawl is washedup. Tyrone Hill (remember him?) was known as a frequent in Fairhill too. Dude was there a lot after he retired. Had a horrible wet habit. Told my homebul he hit wet to relieve the bone spurs he had in his skull ”

92. Elder said... on Feb 16, 2011 at 04:01AM

“I was a missionary for the Mormon church in Philly from 05-07. I lived at 6th/Cumberland, Front/York, 20/Lehigh, 23/Tasker, 57/Market, and 52/Haverford. I've been around every one of these neighborhoods, and talked to the neighbors in each one. It was definitely sad to see drugs take over the lives of people to the point they couldn't see out of it. However, I'd disagree with a lot of the locals that say that they have to stay in when the sun goes down. I never had any problems when I was out late. In my experience, if you mind your own business, and don't get in anyone's way, you have very little to be worried about. Also, when the guys in charge know who you are and know you aren't there to be in their way, they got your back.”

93. Anonymous said... on Feb 20, 2011 at 07:10PM

“The ONLY way to stop the influx of illegal drugs in this country is to stop the demand for them. Lets face it, if their's ANYTHING that people want in this country it...... WILL BE HAD!”

94. Anonymous said... on Feb 21, 2011 at 12:37AM

“The dope in any one spot in Philly changes as much as the weather... one day good the next day garbage so you take your chances.”

95. Anonymous said... on Feb 26, 2011 at 10:43AM

“has anything changed? i wanna go cop but i haven't done it in 6 years. I really don't feel like being beat my first time back..ya know”

96. Anonymous said... on Mar 2, 2011 at 06:15PM

“Were are all the good spots to cop dope at night at”

97. Anonymous said... on Mar 4, 2011 at 01:24AM

“40th spring garden st”

98. impressed said... on Mar 4, 2011 at 04:30PM

“The article and the comments are eye-opening. I suddenly feel that my own little problems are nothing. I admire the recovering addicts very much – what you’ve done is heroic. It’s heroic to go through great pain in order to defy the circumstances.

I haven’t been through anything like that, but I had physical and related psychological problems over the last couple of years, and I understand feeling grateful for normal life. I love that comment about shoveling snow – yes, when you’ve been through something awful, a simple task like that can feel so good, because you’re able to do it.

Something that’s been very helpful to me is meditation. The practice in regular breathing and clear-headedness makes you more stable both physically and mentally. It takes a bit of diligence, but it pays off. The feeling of steadiness and physical health is unbeatable. (And I’ve done drugs.) Even fifteen minutes a day over time helps you feel confident and secure, and helps with anger. And you can do the breathing on the bus or anywhere. I recommend meditation to anyone who’s serious about rejecting the outside pressures and getting grounded in just your own body and mind.”

99. Anonymous said... on Mar 6, 2011 at 06:27PM

“Heroic?? Really? That's easily one of the most absurd notions (and there are hundreds of them) that people seem to mindlessly regurgitate.

I think it's obvious that the solution is legalization of all drugs, and there are dozens of perfectly sound arguments in that regard. However, there is nothing remotely "heroic" about having made terrible choices your entire life, and then overcoming the entirely predictable predicament those choices inevitably put you in.

It's commendable that they have turned their lives around and are doing something positive for a change, but it's not....fkn..."heroic!" How does making a mess of your life, and finally, eventually, making an effort to actually be a productive member of society qualify one as a "hero," as opposed to somebody who's not made a mess of their life in the first place? It's beyond ridiculous.

Man I get tired of the utter nonsense that people spew and that bizarrely passes as wisdom,”

100. dr.green-thumb said... on Mar 6, 2011 at 08:19PM

“idk what the hell you guys are talking about theres drugs on every corner and alley way wtf”

101. Anonymous said... on Mar 7, 2011 at 07:56PM

“kensington really do one thing ..do you know how much money is made a year in kensington just off dope not even coke ..it will never end my suggestion jus isolate all the dealers to that area and try to clean up the rest of the city”

102. justice said... on Mar 11, 2011 at 04:54AM

“start taking them out one at a time .that will make you some money too”

103. Joeyd said... on Mar 14, 2011 at 08:06PM

“I dont know what that annonymous dude is talking about...first of all kensington and somerset is a predominately peurto rican neighborhood, not black, and race has nothing to do with it...everybody knows to go there to cop...just so happens its in that neighborhood for years...what about all those places outta town that are "white neighborhoods"? Drugs are everywhere, most of the time people from down the way see that as the only way out because they never seen anybody else get out by any other means...my point is that, in poor neighborhoods, you are always gonna c people hustle to get by or get out...race dont even matter, its irrelevant and besides, you see as many black and spanish junkies out their as to the "white people"...”

104. brandywine said... on Mar 15, 2011 at 04:49PM

“Don't bother with 40th and Spring Garden. Just checked it out. That place is a ghost town and there's a police station at Lancaster and Spring Garden 2 blocks away so I doubt anyone's ever out.”

105. Earnest Barnest Tolliver said... on Mar 16, 2011 at 07:31PM

“Un married recovered people have a problem with relationships with woman in general in my area; 3305 Southmont DR. Montgomery,Al.”

106. Anonymous said... on Mar 16, 2011 at 11:23PM

“The best dope is down the badlands, Rosehill St. near C St. But you take your life in your hands down there. Most of the Latinos will look out for you, but I've been beat so many times by the blacks down there it's not funny. The safest thing to do is get a good dealer who delivers up in the NE, door to door service and the dope isn't bad.

A couple of years ago you could get the good Blue Magic near K & A, but that went away I guess. I don't go down there anymore.

I don't rob or steal to support my habit either. In fact, I have a great job and make great money. You won't see me nodding off at my desk either. I have a secretary and no one in work is the wiser. It's extremely easy to function quite well with a $150 a day heroin habit. If you saw me, you would NEVER think I was a junkie. I know doctors, lawyers and even cops who are junkies. The cops are the worst. They will shake down my dealer whenever they are sick. My dealer can't do a damn thing about it either.”

107. Anonymous said... on Mar 17, 2011 at 09:13AM

“there is a thing called omission of intelligence,that's when the brain refuses to compute.i never will have respect for death dealers there trade is genocide to all walks of life for a profit 30 piece's of silver.”

108. luis said... on Mar 20, 2011 at 07:02AM

“I MOVE TO JAMESTOWN NY FROM PHILADELPHIA,TO CHANGE MY LIFE AROUND.I HAVE 2 KIDS 6 AND 8 WITH ME AND I DONT WANT MI KIDS TO GROW UP THE SAME WAY THE I WAS IN PHILADELPHIA.I LOVE PHILA,BUT I DONT LIKE THE STREET OF PHILY ANY MORE.I PRAY FOR A CHANGE AND FOR THE KIDS OF PHILADELPHIA.”

109. This Is Not My Legacy said... on Mar 23, 2011 at 02:15AM

“Once an addict has an opiate habit going, they will push aside the facts of how dangerous it is in Kensington....when you are in withdrawl, all you can think about is taking away the sickness....to the point of waiting in an alley, to the point of walking into an abandoned building if told that's where it is, to the point of believing these dealers, to the point of walking through freezing rain for 3 hours to find something, to the point of losing your home, then your apartment, then your room, then your teeth, to the point of selling your wedding ring, selling your DVD's, selling your phone, until weepingly you've sold your body.....(and even my STRAIGHT male friend did)........... to the point of sometimes hoping that the next high, you won't wake up., because then you'll know for sure that it's finally over. :(”

110. Hissey Legend said... on Mar 23, 2011 at 02:43PM

“I grew up right up the street from Kensington & Somerset at D & Clearfield and knew many drug dealers down there and some of them did some crazy shit to make money; it wasn't just selling drugs, they sold their bodies to perverts driving up & down Kensington Ave., and this was back in the late 80's early 90's. The main reason these kids end up selling drugs is because they have no one at home to steer them clear of this crazy shit. They think that's all there is or ever will be when there's a whole world out there beyond Kensington and Somerset. It was once a hard-working middle-class neighborhood that each decade from the 70's on gets worse and worse. The mayors of the city over the years have let the neighborhoods down and politicians line their own pockets and turned a blind eye to the drugs and crime that has infected this area of the city for years. It will never get better unless the people of that area get involved somehow and some way clean it up. How?”

111. Anonymous said... on Mar 31, 2011 at 08:47AM

“damn what time the dope man come out. was out at 8pm and nobody. where is it at? 3rd and indy dead???? 19 and j still popping?”

112. WEST OAK LANE said... on Apr 9, 2011 at 01:25PM

“It's bad enough that there was drugs brought here in America in the first place, but all of you moronic people who swear you'll oneday have Jay-z and Wayne's money from slinging crack (which btw only helps to demolish your own people-mainly Blacks & Browns) is beyond non-realistic. I grew up in West Oak Lane, it WAS mostly beautiful and peaceful..... someday all Black people will be extinct and we (excluding the ones with sense and self worth) won't have anyone to blame but ourselves. Stop making us look bad. We have enough problems already. If you really don't care about life do the rest of us a favor and KILL YOURSELVES. Weed is harmless but drugs hurt and effect EVERYONE . Fake ass, worthless dealers.”

113. fed up said... on Apr 20, 2011 at 06:15AM

“106 you are a bullshitter trust me you will be found out and you will one day be selling your ass on K&A to support your drug addiction and everyone will be on to you . Sooner or later it catches up to you your health will fail you will loose your job and out on the streets you will be selling your ass , Bragg away all you want but you are a fake , I know many people on dope and they are not holding nothing down but the pants they are wearing selling ass to get high the only one who is not wise is you ,Trust me I know I have a stepdaughter and she and her birth mother sell their ass to get high on dope they pick up guys who have money that are on drugs and use them to get high these men have wives and my daughters birth mom has no teeth and my step daughter weighs like 80 pounds thanks to dope, they started on pills but they graduated to the big H , so if you think you are fooling anyone you are wrong and foolish to think that . by the way my daughter is 27 and her mother is 46”

114. Anonymous said... on Apr 20, 2011 at 08:05PM

“wheres some good places to get some rocks at ?”

115. Anonymous said... on Apr 24, 2011 at 08:49AM

“hey, I have just read alot of the comments on this site. And this last guy was right. You cannot beat the heroin or cocaine. IF YOU GET HIGH, It is like getting in the ring with mike tyson, You WILL get knocked out every single time. You are chasing a high you will NEVER get again. That great high only happens the one time and we spend the rest of our lives chasing that high and NEVER get it! I have been clean for 17 months and my life still pretty much sucks, But I dont have to experience those withdrawls every morning from the dope because I couldnt hold onto my " wake up" and did the shot at 12 am and woke up sick and had to get a shopping cart and run around the badlands at 5 am jumping fences and stealing copper, aluminum, and brass to sell for that morning "get well shot". And the great thing, the thing that keeps me going every day, The thing that stops me from sticking that needle in my arm is the fact that I have not been in a cell for SEVEN YEARS!!! No more prison 4 me!!!”

116. King Rico said... on May 9, 2011 at 04:30PM

“after reading y all. Oh pls!! kesnington aint shit anymore even the drugs too! I m one of old top dogs back in middle 90 s to end of 90 s when it was booming in kensington. I aint telling which corners I owned and chich crews.... was rakin in average 17,000 to 24,000 a day... I just visited the area.. a long trip from where I m living right now.. saw and spoke lot of old top dogs whom are still living there and secretly hood millionaries.. whom all are drivin just hondas or fords. they say... drugs s all pressed too much and cutted up.. and too many fake ass wanna be tony montana running round. too many corners.. not much money to be made anymore.. it s dying breed over there now.. they say now corner owner (kingpin) makes measly 3 to 4 ,000 a day.. that aint shit!!! who s always makin the money>> the da cartels!!! cause no matter how much tony montanas asshole in kensington. they still sell off kiloss. it come down to the same numbers and quainty of product being sold but just lot lot more corner owners as customer and shit get cutted up more. i got out in the time before shit hit fan in 2000. where more than half top dogs got federally fucked. kensington isnt lucrative anymore in business sense. not for me. i had my foot in the ring for 4 yrs and got my foot out in time before bell rung.”

117. Anonymous said... on May 15, 2011 at 05:29PM

“Been on methadone for 10 years now, but I used to travel from York Pa to cop dope in the Badlands. The little street behind the red bar on the corner of 3rd and Indiana had super shit. (Don King with the boxing gloves) Other good product around was 7up, Heavyweight, Face to Face and Popcorn. Was in the area a few years back and decided to take a look around, I was surprised to see how little was going on. No one out yelling to "park it up" like in the late 90's . Now cops setting stings up to catch folks as they pull away from the few spots that still do open air. (from what I've seen anyway) If you are chipping stop, if you are using get help cause smacks going to win in the end.”

118. Missfitz said... on May 18, 2011 at 12:07PM

“I love Philly but would never want to live there. These parents have to take responsibility for they're kids. Get them in school and off the streets, they have the same opportunities as anyone else. just like the movie "Boyz in the hood" its just about this innocents being caught in the crossfire, young innocent children exposed to danger and drug dealers bringing down the property value of a community, it's only a matter of time before the whole area is condemned investors buy cheap re-vamp and up sell to people who will maintain and respect the property. It's a shame people can't enjoy they're communities and live in fear. Citizens need to reclaim therye streets. Make the call take pictures whatever to protect your family, children, homes!!!!”

119. HappyTime! said... on May 18, 2011 at 01:20PM

“http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Philadelphia”

120. Anonymous said... on Jun 14, 2011 at 03:48PM

“where can you get pills at (Oxy's)”

121. mikey said... on Jun 18, 2011 at 03:16PM

“where can i buy good weed in the rittenhouse area?”

122. Anonymous said... on Jun 19, 2011 at 10:08PM

“anybody know the corner blood diamond at?”

123. CMD said... on Jun 23, 2011 at 01:02AM

“Philly is off the hook, but Camden is way out of bounds. Come and take a stroll down Broadway. Hit up Ablett Village, The Alleyway, Morse and Thorndyke, Tre Deuce, Sycamore, The Laundrymat... The list goes on and on. Weed out, weed out, ready rocks, dope, coke, pills... Piedra. I can't even fathom all the drugs that get moved in that city every day. Crazy...”

124. Anonymous said... on Jun 27, 2011 at 09:47PM

“How can they leave out the "wet" spots this is philly...where's the dust juice jars???????????????”

125. Anonymous said... on Jun 27, 2011 at 11:35PM

“headbanger dimes of wet...7th and clearfield”

126. mostwanted said... on Jul 4, 2011 at 10:09PM

“dam.all good comment,but i cant lie.i love philly although,its crazy out here.see all the dope selling and shooting we have to live with is no joke but i can say this.this city aint to bad once ppl get there act together.cause i did. i was once one of philly bad person for years till i went to jail to serve more than 10years and even lost my wife and kids. see i have changed. got my shit together and i work hard.now at age 36 alive and well, thank to god and my lovly family i servived the streets of philly.believe me ppl,this city can be dangerous but its up to you.what you wanna make off it. iv been there and done that.and just to say i will never leave this city.....”

127. Eric said... on Jul 9, 2011 at 06:24PM

“Man, I miss the days when Indiana was off the hook and the dope and rock were fire!! After 9/11, everything went to hell and that Operation Sunrise/Sunset bull**** changed the game in Philly. I remember Super Buick, Grayhound, Homicide, Titanic and many others.... the quality was great and consistant. I loved the double sealed bags on F and Lippencot and lved all the gals who worked the Ave day and night. I got busted once at the potato chip factory a few blocks up from Kensington and Somerset... that was great! I remember when Cambria and Somerset had lines of cars from Jersey and Delaware coppin dope and weed and rock.... hell, they even sold glass roses on the next block Palethorpe. This was all in the 1990's.... I have been up there like a year or two ago.... and it isnt the same sadly. The 7-11 on Tioga and Kensington still sees action, but the Somerset stop is on fire and has way too many Transit Police there. My buddies, Eddie and Junebug on Hart Lane had a house that was the sp”

128. Lele said... on Jul 13, 2011 at 01:16AM

“The comments are much more shocking than the story.”

129. Anonymous said... on Jul 18, 2011 at 08:39PM

“My father chose the life of a doper spending all of his time at K&A or Somerset...Knows the dealers, dopers and cops better than his own daughter. He's been on it for 20 years (when he's not in jail) and I'm just waiting to see him dead on the news. Surprised he's not dead yet, hes the walking dead. I'm only 25, it hurts knowing my dad loves dope more then me.”

130. LadyFriend said... on Jul 21, 2011 at 12:05PM

“People will always seek out drugs. We have since the beginning of time and likely always will. That is not the majority of the battle when it comes to the resulting crime and violence.The crime is largely a problem of socioeconomics. Poor people simply do not have educational and employment opportunities. What should we expect in communities that are offered piss poor education? What should we expect in communities that simply do not have good jobs available to them? I would put money on the fact that if many of these dealers had legitimate opportunities (that rival the income and respect/status of the drug trade), they would prefer to take that route. In my opinion, the fight to curb this violence and crime must start with education and mentoring; followed by somehow providing economic alternatives. I hope the city catches on to this reality sooner than later.”

131. Anonymous said... on Jul 21, 2011 at 12:10PM

“I cannot believe that so many of these comments have been allowed to remain. Are there no moderators?”

132. Badtothebone said... on Jul 26, 2011 at 11:01AM

“Cops r on the take just ask any drug dealer out here.”

133. J said... on Jul 27, 2011 at 06:33AM

“Ive got some crazy stories. Once at mutter and cambria an undercover cop pulled out his glock and put it to my head when he saw me trying to cop in the day time. Another time I got nabbed by two narcotics police with 8 bags of dope and a work but the cops let me go AND let me keep my dope. Sware to god. I had just scooped from 4th and indiana the day after it got raided. They were watching it. Since I didnt have a lot they just let me go with my shit thank god. COulda caught a charge im very lucky i didnt. ANother time I spent 45 minutes in the back of a cop car with crack under my nuts on my birthday at broad and allegheny. Scary shit man. Got clean with methadone. Shits a beast of an addiciton.”

134. Anonymous said... on Jul 28, 2011 at 01:59PM

“Sup, I am going to be relocating to Philly and being these are the place I usely end up I am trying to find a dope friendly place crash if anyone has any room I can stay I will pay decently for it so I don't have to stay on the street. So e mail me if this is something your can help with thanks Icenine2000us@yahoo.com”

135. whowouldjesusbomb said... on Aug 8, 2011 at 11:43PM

“Its not a matter to whos right and whos wrong its not the constant action of these spices that run through our citys veins or up our nose an down our throats are we a city of lies because we have lost all hope”

136. kenzoirishpride said... on Aug 10, 2011 at 08:29PM

“i grew up in kensington just five minutes from k&a. i moved out in 1995 to port richmond. i never get to go over there but i will to see how bad it has become. i lived at mcveigh playground from the early 80s to 1995,and i miss it so much. there were so many good people that i grew up with in that small section of kensington that i can't believe these stories that everyone is posting.i live two miles away in port richmond ,and don't even lock my door.my next door neighbor sold her house for 250,000 dollars in this shitty housing market. these stories have stunned me i can't believe all this shit goes on so close to me and i am clueless. i used to eat 5 to 7 80mg of oxy a day so i'm not naive to the game. i mean were did all those hard working irish familys that i grew up with go. when i was a kid i remember everyones house being very clean the outside well taken care of. some of these stories make k&a sound like beirut in 1985.anyone remember arnold from mcveigh”

137. Anonymous said... on Aug 21, 2011 at 12:40PM

“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_Connection_Trial

Loius Freeh's FBI still working for Dominoes and Barbie Doll Amerithrax.

O'Well.”

138. Anonymous said... on Aug 21, 2011 at 07:19PM

“This article is a little dated. The dealers and spots have scattered since it was written. Looking for good stuff go to frankford and Orleans or go to Cambria Ans Mutter or Ella and clearfield.”

“This is dated so I'm surprised to see recent comments. I was a Kensington fiend myself. Family is from Kenso but all left cuz the nieghborhood has gone to shit. My grandfathers house finally got sold cuz thanks to me and my aunt, it got raided cuz we were lettin someone sling ready out the house so we could have free weed to smoke. Its twisted out there. Little kids with no guidance and only bad examples to follow. Some taught to make hand to hands at 9, some 5 year old locked out of their house while their mom smokes crack with her boyfriend. I could list a million sad things. Anybody reading this remember Fat Buddy? Anyway all I can say is Percs lead to oxys, and oxys lead to dope, and the whole sickness is a shitty way to spend your one shot at life. I'm glad to be 27 and clean, and still have a chance at a somewhat decent life.”

143. ExJunkie said... on Aug 26, 2011 at 05:43PM

“Where did they get "pancakes and syrup" being xanax and not percs? Am I the only one who knows pancakes to be percs? ANYway, we gotta stop blaming the dealers all the time. They are not in the right by any means, but if addicts and partyers didn't go to them looking for the shit then they wouldn't be doing what they're doing. When do the users get any blame? Its the users' responsibility to stop using, not the cops' responsibility to take away every dealer. There will always be a source, the key is to stop using. The answer to the problem is for poeple to stop using, and sadly, that's why this problem will never go away.”

144. SouthPhillyItalian said... on Sep 1, 2011 at 09:47PM

“is it a coinincidence that over half these drug spots are in predominately puerterican neighborhoods.. there worse then blacks.. these dumb spics just come here to sell drugs and fuckk up our city more then it alredy is!!”

145. Anonymous said... on Sep 2, 2011 at 07:58PM

“I love the easy accessibility when it comes to purchasing heroin on Indiana Ave. I would hate to have to get out of the car, it's scary out there sometimes. Mayor Nutter is doing his best to control the situation.”

146. Anonymous said... on Sep 6, 2011 at 08:59PM

“yo”

147. Anonymous said... on Sep 7, 2011 at 12:16PM

“How can you say 5th and Carpenter is Pennsport? I live in the area and that's the border of Bella Vista and Queen Village. I've never seen people thee at night and I've never had any problems.”

148. Anonymous said... on Sep 7, 2011 at 07:23PM

“I deal drugs in every corner on the top 10”

149. Anonymous said... on Sep 8, 2011 at 11:22AM

“Where's the good dope at, mutters 7 up was fire they switched to 7 down and its garbage. Where's the fire at?”

150. Anonymous said... on Sep 24, 2011 at 09:05AM

“Anyone out there know who has better D RIGHT NOW Kensington or 3ed and Indiana. btw. 4th and york is beat!!”

151. Manteca said... on Sep 27, 2011 at 12:28PM

“5th and york, "Import" and 3 and Indiana "Escalade"”

152. vick2jackson said... on Oct 1, 2011 at 09:27PM

“Manteca get at me new to city need dope and willing to pay vick2jackson@hushmail.com I'M NOT A COP AND YOU SHOULDN'T BE EITHER”

153. Anonymous said... on Oct 8, 2011 at 04:23PM

“i currently live atleast45 mins from the city in rural country and i still find myself going down to the city every time i get a paycheck. my addiction started at the age of 16, before i hadn't even imagined of fuckin with dope powder or none of that other shit, maybe an L once in awhile but nothing that serious, after meeting my at the time boyfriend(now EX) i began to experiment with harder more dangerous drugs. one November night he decided he wanted to pick up a dub of coke and asked if i wanted some, i was kinda freaked out at first but i did it anyway shortly after i found myself living quite a different lifestyle. i began going to phily once or twice a week, then 3-4 days a week, my ex became addicted to heiroine as well as his friend for a few months i was only snorting my coke, shortly after i began shooting it. i checked myself into rehab and left in a month staying clean for 6 months, and slowly once more i began using again, i cant even explain what craving cocaine is like”

154. Anonymous said... on Oct 8, 2011 at 04:29PM

“there's no sub for coke, there is only willpower keeping you from it. now I'm still hooked, but i only do it once or twice a week. i think about all the money i spend on this shit and it scares me but for some reason knowing what i got from it feels righteous. in fact i went down last night to mutter, like i have been for the past two years shit doesn't change down in the city sometimes i wish it wasn't there because knowing it is makes me want it all the more, now at 18 I'm still living this life not because i have to but because i can, and until then i cant see myself quitting even though i want to”

“It is sad but great to know how deep the problem is. I read all the comments and all I can see are opinions from people that wants to help and people that is part of the problem. The main factor here is that at the end nobody can stop someone that does not mind to destroy his/her life and the society it lives in. I don't think drugs help people with their lives but that is just my opinion.”

159. Pistol Pete said... on Nov 1, 2011 at 11:36PM

“Thank God I'm clean now, a dope habit is like a race with no ending..”

160. g said... on Nov 20, 2011 at 03:11AM

“PHILLY IS BETTER THEN WHEN I WAS UP IN THAT GAME BACK IN THE 80'S.....I REMEMBER 8TH AND BUTLER.........STRAIGHT ZOO....JOKERS OUT SIDE IN LINES WAITING TO BE SERVED UP.....DEALERS WITH TECH 9S IN HAND....NO JOKE....RICHARD ALAN PROJECTS....NEED I SAY MORE.... GOT BEAT DOWN THERE CHASING SOME CHICK.....5 JOKERS STUCK ME UP FOR EVERYTHING.....EVERY LAST ONE HAD A PISTOL TO MY FRAME............REMEMBER BEING LOCKED UP AT THE ROUND HOUSE......THANK GOD I'M OUT THE GAME......CAUSE IT WOULD OF GOT ME SOONER OR LATER....EITHER I WOULD OF BEEN PUT IN A SITUATION WHERE I HAD TO DO SOMETHING OR SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD OF BEEN IN A SITUATION.....YOU WHAT I'M SAYING....WEST PHILLY HUSTLER...”

161. Former Fiend said... on Nov 30, 2011 at 06:25AM

“outrageous..... entertaining.....depressing”

162. Anonymous said... on Dec 1, 2011 at 01:41AM

“You can seriously find dope on almost any corner. One corner could be that fire, then walk down to the next corner and get sold some bunk.

And honestly, when i used to cop i was more worried about the cops then the boys dealing, they had more to lose then the junky. They got all kinds of look outs watching for the cops. Its a business, they want your money, and they want you coming back.. They treat you damn good if your a returning custy who gets multiple buns, shit, they would call me more then i would call them. Its crazy in the badlands.”

163. Anonymous said... on Dec 1, 2011 at 09:32PM

“We are a small group of men(fathers,husbands,brothers,uncles,cousins,and friends) and growing, that meet at locations in west philly,to plan to take back our neighborhoods by any means necessary from dealers or people that prey on the weak and our children..those locations they use as a fronts (bars,corner stores,chinese stores,music and video)to deal drugs will be eliminated...WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE...our children are the furture....its time for a change.”

164. Anonymous said... on Dec 3, 2011 at 08:06PM

“camdens were it at”

165. Otter P= said... on Dec 9, 2011 at 08:21AM

“First, these stories are clearly fictional to paint a picture of the truth, this is not true journalism.Second only answer is to legalize it all. Prohibition = drugs&violence; 21yr old policy = drugs only. Third Camden is where it's at, pretty much anyone standing around is selling.....If you know current info email me Seymouralishaklass@gmail.com”

“O was on heroin for years these spots are the real deal. Even then spot at Memphis and clearfield. That's my block. I'm so happy I'm of digs now. What a horrible life that was.”

168. aant3daly said... on Jan 3, 2012 at 09:56PM

“O was on heroin for years these spots are the real deal. Even then spot at Memphis and clearfield. That's my block. I'm so happy I'm of digs now. What a horrible life that was.”

169. Anonymous said... on Jan 20, 2012 at 03:41PM

“My father was from upper darby. He was clean for 15years. But when he had a down fall in his life he started to use dope again from 2009-2011 he used dope. but on june 27, 2011 he went down kensington & somerset to get high, and never made it home. Cops found him on june 30, 2011 he was dead in a vacant construction trailer on 2700ruth street, I knew nothing about kesington until i went to go see where he died at. And it broke my heart. God bless anyone who had to lose a love one to drugs.

”

170. Anonymous said... on Jan 20, 2012 at 03:52PM

“My father was from Upper Darby, but some how after a downfall he had to deal with in his life. After already being 15years clean, he found his way back down kensington & somerset. he started from 2009, using dope up until 2011 when cops found him dead in a construction trailer on 2700ruth street. he was missing for 4days until someone found him there. I knew nothing about kensington until i went to see where he died at, and it just broke my heart. God bless anyone who had to lose a loved one to drugs.”

171. Medicinal said... on Jan 22, 2012 at 01:27PM

“I live in northeast ,pa.just moved from bama,and need a green hookup badley,i have chronic back pain,and cant function without,any suggestions on where to go”

172. Anonymous said... on Jan 28, 2012 at 07:51PM

“medicinal,,did you read the article,and comments,i dont think anyone could be more clear on where to go. although i would advise you not waste your time right now, there is no heroin in philadelphia, there are bags of some weird downer. but its not heroin, they will try to tell you it is, but it isnt. so if you are strung out, the dealers in philly already tapered you off,why not just stop now.”

173. Anonymous said... on Feb 3, 2012 at 11:25PM

“you fools...keep up the great work! it will be great once you animals wipe yourselves out of existence! 4 real,,,i only wish you would hurry up, it could only be greater if you would do it during my lifetime! ill buy a hot shot bundle for any of you fiends, as long as it finishes you off! ill also buy a plane ticket for any of you colored pieces of trash who supply death to your own people!”

174. Anonymous said... on Feb 9, 2012 at 04:19PM

“i sell drugs in west philly and never been caught by anyone. Police don't catch anyone selling drugs. I am also addicted to drugs and alcohol.”

175. Anonymous said... on Feb 11, 2012 at 10:48AM

“Here in the uk I live in quaint picturesque tea and crumpet land. No ghetto at all and can still get crack and smack all day every day, everyone can, DRUGS ARE EVERYWHERE!”

176. Anonymous said... on Feb 21, 2012 at 02:52PM

“Informative article. Too bad some people have to come on here & publish negativity. To me, awareness, honesty, patience, education & working together are some keys to fixing things (easier said then done). It's a shame people are exposed, especially the younger generation. It starts within....”

177. Anonymous said... on Feb 24, 2012 at 03:42PM

“Drugs will be a part of everyone's life whether you like it or not. Obviously the police are not winning the so called "War on Drugs", so if you can't beat em, join em. The government needs to legalize these drugs so they can control them. If I could get my weed from the corner store legally, I wouldn't be in a situation to get shot in an alley or some street corner from those that are trying to beat the system. The financial reason alone is enough to motivate officials to consider it, but these gung ho law enforcement officials and the idiotic Federal Goverment keep on pressing these issues to the fullest, wasting our tax money on campaigns to eradicate drugs which will always be a losing battle. Enough is enough. I smoke weed every day, have a profitable job which pays me 6 figures, yet I'm at risk of being arrested every single day, or worse if I have to put myself in a position to buy from thugs on a corner.”

178. pHight said... on Mar 13, 2012 at 10:27PM

“So as someone who was at Kensington and Somerset yesterday I came down the el stairs and found only a handful of corner boys out selling xanax and suboxone right around the corner from where uniformed cops were standing by the other el stairs. I have been off heroin for three years and I did that with suboxone. I usually to to my psychiatrist but when I cannot afford my visit($120) and my prescription($300) I call a friend and if that friend cannot sell me suboxone I go to kensington. If there are no cops out I can get off the el get my suboxone and get onto the next train going back into center city in 3 minutes without being harassed by anyone. Now I have been to almost every corner on this list and honestly I rarely see a cop doing jack on any. Kensington & Somerset though are the moat obvious drug corners I have ever seen in Philadelphia. Even worse than North Camden. The area around is also a haven for drug dealers and users for coke, wet, dope, crack, pills, etc. It will not stop”

179. deezy said... on Mar 18, 2012 at 03:02AM

“anyone got an update on the diesel down there in kenzo\fairhill? goin down there in a couple days.. allso, is police activity hot?”

180. REF said... on Apr 16, 2012 at 04:45AM

“F and Clearfield for the best of whats left guys n gals, I wonder what happened to all the good dope before 9-11 happened. Anyway somedays when its "hot" the F n clearfield dudes move down ONE street toward the ave to Potter and Clearfield. Stay away from 4th n Indy, its raided almost every tuesday or thursday like clockwork and their dope is stomped on anyway.”

181. scarlet said... on Apr 17, 2012 at 01:12AM

“what i can never seem to find is addys. i live right outside of camden but i'm moving to philly real soon so hopefully its easier there. people in camden don't even know wtf addys are.”

182. CookyJar said... on Apr 17, 2012 at 01:23PM

“I come down here all the time to find girls for picture-taking. People call me a parasite or a leech or a lech (I'm over 65). Well, I earned my disability pay with the Marines and I'll spend it any way I like, even if it's illegal. If you see me in my green SUV (i'm a big black dude) and call me a name or call the cops, you'll get a big middle finger.”

183. jermaine said... on Apr 18, 2012 at 08:41PM

“ROFLMBAO! cookyjar! he still around??? that nigah make up stories about wimmin he aint even touched. he dried up, man. after lying sh*t that he aint postin they p*ssies on internet he put up they naked a*s anyway. he dont give squat about nobody. if i wuz heat id lock the muvf*k up. id his car, bros!”

184. Anonymous said... on Apr 18, 2012 at 10:16PM

“Re: Cookiejar: He's not "over 65", he's 64. Yes, he's "black" but 1/2 white. His skin tone is quite light, so that through a car window he appears white. He can be intimidating-looking, since he has a very large build. Those who reported on him to us say he is pleasant in personality and non-threatening. He releases few details about himself. He does not negotiate at first until,he feels comfortable. In regards to the photos, he smiles disarmingly and never, never comes out and states his intention of publishing on the internet. He pays very generously but can be deceptive. If you must partake, beware. To protect yourself notice the model and color of car and, if possible note the license number and also the address where he takes you. He is known to have a gun but is not dangerous with females. Your biggest danger is the loss of your privacy down the road. If you don't partake, report all you know to a patrol car. The police need his profile in their data base.”

185. jermaine said... on Apr 19, 2012 at 10:51AM

“he be goin by lettlerly all the time. you scarlet right? how much you want for license id? email me bro.”

186. Anonymous said... on Apr 19, 2012 at 01:28PM

“It's funny that people say drugs and pornography aren't in the white suburbs. Haha, yeah, right!They may not sell drugs or dirty pics on street corners but believe me, they are in the white suburbs, too”

187. scarlet said... on Apr 19, 2012 at 04:58PM

“jermaine, u got mail”

188. Anonymous said... on Apr 22, 2012 at 08:57AM

“The corner of Somerset and Kensington in my mind is the most notorious in the city for drugs, prostitution, and available guns and other contraband.That is always going to be the case as long as the city officials just sit back and collect paychecks.If one takes time to watch what is going on in that area they would see that the cops are very, and I mean very, selective about who they bust and who the don't.I personally know many of the girls that work that area. They have related many times how the cops routinely make " dates " with them just to stay out of jail. The date is made, a time is set, and the cops return during their off time for the meeting. If the girl fails to show then the next time she is spotted she is then arrested. They then engage in the same activity they claim to be protecting the rest of the city from.”

189. Me said... on Apr 23, 2012 at 08:32AM

“All y'all bitches whack wild and you know it. Just because you grew up around drugs doesn't mean you have to engage in them. Thats your own personal choice. Don't go blaming your Daddy, your Momma, and your Boo down the block. It was YOUR fault. You all should be ashamed. If you witnessed this then you should've called the cop. Its not hard, its 3 numbers away.”

190. WiseOne said... on Apr 23, 2012 at 08:16PM

“People there's no need to complain about the problems that are every where. Ronald regan began the war on drugs From 1981-1989 and since then it hasn't worked. Drugs are something that will never go away, when a drug user dies a new one is born. You have to stop blaming areas and drug dealers for depleating the neighborhoods, blame the users because if there wasn't a demand for the drug people wouldn't try so hard to have it. Best idea I can have is that your never going to get rid of the drug users, make drugs legal and able to be taxable. Killings two birds with one stone... Drug dealers will be able to file taxes and uncle Sam gets his money, the city makes more money. Also drug dealers need to stop moving to the northeast where is a good neighborhood and bringing his ways of acting ghetto making the neighborhood go to shit! If you leave the hood for a better life leave the bullshit behind it as well.”

191. Anonymous said... on Apr 26, 2012 at 08:43PM

“It's COOKYJAR's fault! He keeps paying young girl drug addicts to take off their clothes and let him take lewd pictures of them. And he pays a lot of money! Arrest him, and arrest him now!”

192. jermaine said... on Apr 27, 2012 at 08:39PM

“don worry anon i be lookin”

193. Anonymous said... on May 20, 2012 at 12:15PM

“You can get rid of drug corners in your neighborhood. Steve Volk has been doing his most excellent coverage of the major drug corners for years now, and what does it tell us? Things do change.

In SWCC, home of one of the major drug corners that made Volk's list many years back, what changed is that properties went up for sheriff sale for overdue property tax collection, and developers bought them.

SIgn the petition -- collect overdue property taxes in Philly. Schools need the money, and selling a drug house cleans up the neighborhood for blocks around it, both the demand and the supply.

You have the power to make the city better, your own block, your own neighborhood.”

194. tonybaltimore said... on Jun 3, 2012 at 07:57AM

“Thanks for the information. Me and my boys will be visiting your city for good smack in the near future. Again thanks.”

195. fern rock said... on Jul 1, 2012 at 03:16PM

“looking at all these comments and all different type of ideas and ways to change philly it seems like no one cant find the solution to all the violence going on not just in philly < this is world wide we have forgotten about the biblical principals our parents taught us we have turned our backs from the lord i grew up in philly in the hunting park area franklin and pike and i remember that we did as we pleased i did alot of yeaes in jail for all the mistakes i made while growing up i blamed the system i blamed the system and blamed everyone i could nt explain all the violence THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ON MTHW 6:23 THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH THAT EXPLAINS ALOT OPEN YOUR EYEZ PHILLY JESUS CHRIST IS THE ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEMS . REPENT FROM ALL OF OUR WICKED WAYS AND WE WILL FIND LIVING WATER IN HIM COME TO THE WALE GOD BLESS EVERYONE REMEMBER THE LORD IS COMOING FOR HIS PEOPLE DONT BE CAUGHT WITH UOT HIM!!!!! HE IS THE ANWER....”

196. Anonymous said... on Aug 15, 2012 at 11:03AM

“CookyJar is scum! PLEASE get his license number. We need to tuirn him over to the police and get him locked up for a long, long time. He is corrupting young girls.”

197. kelly said... on Aug 26, 2012 at 07:08PM

“It is now Aug 2012 What is the update on these places I know there is no change in Kensington and it has gone down to Richmond but how about the other places”

198. Jenny said... on Oct 26, 2012 at 07:47PM

“I want to know why the HELL this was posted. Do you ever realize, Steve Volk, that you gave people the means to go get drugs?! Thanks to you, my sister got this information and used it to go get high.... I'm not saying it's your fault-- but you've got to be kidding publishing this story. Do you know how many people are oblivious to this kind of stuff?! This should be deleted for good. SCUM!!”

199. Anonymous said... on Nov 28, 2012 at 09:01PM

“While this situation isn't funny, some of the comments really are. The solution is extremely clear, yet unattainable until someone develops a method to have parents actually raise, teach & discipline their kids. It's really that simple, but there's no chance in 2012 that you'll get thousands upon thousands of individuals to suddenly be accountable for their actions & their kids, so I guess there's no realistic solution. I say this as someone that struggled with addiction only a few years ago, while I had great parents myself, half the dealers I bought from were teenagers, 20 yrsold at best and almost half of them dealt from their parents (that were never around) houses or some even paid their parents mortgages. And once dealers have money and can get a decent attorney, you're not getting them off the streets, the laws are a joke. This could also be why those judging the cops may not notice the efforts. Only way to lock anyone up is largescale busts, so they attack the supply”

200. user rich said... on Dec 2, 2012 at 06:45PM

“welll they are trying to cllean up the number one spot on this list by having police there 24/7. so all that does is make them go around the corner. there is no way to stop it. locking up addifcts in my eyes is the same as dog catching it isnt police wiork. lock up the dealers and distribiturs. do some real police work, but there is to much money is drugs. they will never go away they are here to stay so sorry people, get use to it they are not going anywhere. the governmennt does not want the problem to go away, they want to throw money at it so peoples pockets in high places get filled!!”

201. The BITCH said... on Dec 7, 2012 at 09:02AM

“Some of you people are so fucking filthy. Like, I don't understand why a website like this would even be published. By the way, for all you bitches who are saying "Oooooo Imma go there." The cops WILL be waiting for your dumb asses. I understand that philly's police district isn't the best, but its not like the junkies are making it any better!”

202. CookyJar victim said... on Jan 15, 2013 at 05:21PM

“He lied to me. He forced me to undress and get into dirty poses. He tried to get off but couldn't. He finally paid me. I don't give a shit that he could be turned in for breaking the solicitation law. I just wanted to get away from his dirty house and his dirty body.”

203. Janice said... on Jan 18, 2013 at 07:37PM

“Hey CJ Victim,You said it yourself: he broke the law. So turn him into the police, give a description, tell what happened. The police DO keep things confidential. Go to his filthy website and see if you know any of his other victims. They can back you up. He's committed battery on so many girls that he'll never know who turned him in.”

204. Janice said... on Feb 7, 2013 at 10:24PM

“Thanks to assistance from the Commandante's office we are finally making some progress on IDing CookyJar. One of three possibilities! Cross-checking with the roster at Penn (his granddaughter) should yield gold. Stay tuned.”

205. Anonymous said... on Feb 8, 2013 at 05:56PM

“Cookie Jar be sellin drugs?”

206. Red Dragon said... on Feb 28, 2013 at 12:32PM

“I know exactly who you talking about this Cookie Jar. He used to hang out near 17th & Cathrine street at the hotel there which hookers used. It's been torn down since. Cookie was the older guy who solicited homosexuals and nobody liked him much. He's probably too old now to have sex, so if he's talking otherwise at his website it's bs. I never liked the guy. If he's sweet talking girls and putting up their pics for cops to see he's scum.”

207. Anonymous said... on Mar 12, 2013 at 03:35PM

“There's a rumor that a reporter FINALLY is getting on the case of alleged drug/prostitute/photography abuser Cookie Jar. Including his ID. This is good news for folks in the 26th District, where male pimps and johns are feeding the drug trade with their dollars and blighting the neighborhood.”

208. Cookie jar said... on May 19, 2013 at 06:14PM

“Jack Steele porno star? Well Erin two can tango and I take pictured too! So any time u wanna cut some farts in my face I'm game baby! I'm getting Larry flint of hustler to photograph u Erin. We can be famous older black man with white girl who has 1 titty”

209. Girard said... on May 27, 2013 at 11:22AM

“lookin for some zannys or valium. i gotz vicadin and some subs strips if anyone knowz wassup. reply soon and ill give my #”

210. Cookie Fart said... on May 29, 2013 at 01:58PM

“ROFMBAO!!! His name cookie fart!

He photo yo ass, you fart in his face! He a disgrace to marine uniform. LOL LOL.”

“Laugh all you want. I took CookyJar's money. I undressed for him. And HE is the one who cut farts during our session. Disgusting man.”

213. Janice said... on Jun 14, 2013 at 08:37PM

“We got the granddaughter IDed. Not too keen on confronting her with the situation, but we'll be working through student services from this point on.”

214. Jermaine said... on Jun 17, 2013 at 04:19PM

“He say on website he luring girls in Jersey now. I be waitin when he come back.”

215. Anonymous said... on Jun 19, 2013 at 01:21PM

“Jermaine, who is the "He" you're talking about? This is an article about drug corners. Are you talking about COOKIE JAR? Are the girls he's luring using his money for drug deals? If you know him can't you turn him in? Snitching has become respectable now. It's called whistle-blowing. Doh. Just do it.”

216. Jermaine said... on Jun 26, 2013 at 05:34PM

“He be the muvfuk.”

217. Lance said... on Jun 27, 2013 at 08:16PM

“Why is no one mentioning the new police presence at Somerset & Kensington? It's been there a long time now. Are the dealers moving to the side streets? Are the prostitutes and perverts (who is this asshole cookie jar anyway?) following them away from the avenue?”

218. Greg said... on Aug 1, 2013 at 04:38AM

“I JUST MADE AN AWESOME REALIZATION!! Okay so there is a documentary called "Killadelphia" where a British journalist documents the crime in North Philly. Somewhere around 40 mins in, you meet the so called top drug dealer in a section of kenzo, he's a fat dude named "Reds" he's got this $50,000 diamond chain on and the guy says, how'd u buy that if you live in such a poor neighborhood, "um, selling cars uh... Here, this is my daughter!" he changes the subject. Haha. As he drives off, his boys in his escallade yell out "5th n Indy!" LOOK at comment number 6!!!! Hahaha it's fuxkin Reds hahaha”

219. Dave fr Chester County said... on Aug 5, 2013 at 06:37AM

“Hey.....what about that "DEMOLITION" brand sold up Indiana & Mutter Sts way and who could ever forget those nice "black taped" dimes of powder togo along with their bundles of "BART SIMPSON" (on skateboard) ?.......ahhhYes, those were the dayzzzz !!!”

220. Anonymous said... on Aug 11, 2013 at 10:46AM

“What a shithole. I will never move back to Philly. It's too bad....really wish I could.”

221. Joel from Kensington said... on Aug 26, 2013 at 10:00AM

“Agreed, Anonymous 221! I see the filth like CookyJar everyday. It sucks.”

222. Jimmie F said... on Oct 5, 2013 at 07:25PM

“I THANK GOD everyday for taking my will and my life and showing me how to live for over 17 years. Up with hope down with dope. All addiction will give you is a new address: sewer 7 pipe 11 rat hole 5 then you will find yourself residing at 6th & Green, 6 feet down and green all around. SAY NO TO DRUGS PEACE”

223. Anonymous said... on Oct 11, 2013 at 10:37AM

“does anyone know where the good dope is at”

224. Anonymous said... on Oct 25, 2013 at 09:04AM

“I hated running into my ex everywhere I went, a new guy on her arm every time! She always said they were “friends” but I knew better. I finally hit my breaking point when we ran into each other at a club one night. I was hanging out with my buddies and she was with yet another new guy… hanging all over him… showing off in front of me and my friends. I was fed up. One of my friends referred me to lifecentre@live.com and I could not be more pleased with the results! I have not seen her on a date since the first night of casting and hear from her friends that she doesn’t go out anymore, tried for a little while and failed miserably. I haven’t decided yet if I am going to reverse the magick revenge spell or not.

Thanks! ~ Jared, United States, Long Beach, California”

225. Alanzo said... on Nov 27, 2013 at 12:43PM

“There's a rumor out that one of the girls got pervert CookyJar's license number. In Camden no less! Any attorney can 411 for the ID.”

226. Street Hawk said... on Nov 28, 2013 at 12:05PM

“Yes, and both Katie and her dealer have seen Cookie Jar in the Kensington drug area recently. I'll have her get the license number.”

227. Dark Phoenix said... on Dec 4, 2013 at 12:44PM

“Serves him right!”

228. kenzopride19134 said... on Dec 5, 2013 at 12:27AM

“I was born oct 8-1982 at Episcoble Hosp on lehigh ave grewup on the 2900 of B st along with everyone in my family moms side and dads side who them as well were born an raised with family on every block B st, C st, Cambria, Boudinot, Indiana, Kip , Rosehill, Front st just to name a few with many more went to Elkin and Stetson ect for skool every memorie good or bad all goes back to kensington which once was a great tight strong proud neighborhood and I loved every second of it but its also the neighborhood that took my dad some aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends away from do I blame the dealers or the crackheads or the cops fuck no they had a choice and choose the way that many others did as well just a one time thing like they all say I blame us all of us who live and are from kensington we let our loved ones an friends and dealers ect take our neighborhood away if everyone stood togetherand fought back like we use too maybe shit wldnt of got so bad we lost our pride our hope”

229. Dark Phoenix said... on Dec 11, 2013 at 12:02PM

“Hey Kenzopride, I hear you. The first thing you can do to reclaim the 'hood is to go after the money that's fueling all these drug deals. That means reporting to the police ex-Marines like CookyJar (alias Capt. Quickdraw) who spend their pension (our tax dollars) luring underage girls on Kensington Avenue for nude photos. If the girls get no money, they buy no drugs, and the dealers go bust. So reclaim your turf and report COOKYJAR-CAPT QUICKDRAW when you see him. All these free-spending perverts need to be behind bars. See this link for examples of the trafficking in female-abuse drug-spawning porn:http://www.usasexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?5058-Streetwalker-Photos-(No-CookyJar-Photos)”

230. kenzopride19134 said... on Dec 12, 2013 at 04:19PM

“Just what we need: a sicko with money.”

231. Jermaine said... on Dec 18, 2013 at 12:23PM

“He back on the avenue. My boyz gonna get him.”

232. Anonymous said... on Dec 18, 2013 at 01:24PM

“CookyJar = Capt QuickDrawSame person.He's the one who pays young girls to bend over for photos of their assholes.”

233. Jackson said... on Dec 24, 2013 at 01:27PM

“I will confirm aliases if requested in a legal proceeding or if any question arises online that needs clarification. It is not a right nor is it a secret.”

234. BucksCountyDoper said... on Jan 2, 2014 at 02:55AM

“Where's the good good at?”

235. The Philosopher said... on Jan 11, 2014 at 01:47PM

“If you want an excellent education on this subject and some of the best entertainment ever, watch THE WIRE. I can't believe I'm the first to mention this tv series.

Then, for thee best entertainment ever, watch Breaking Bad. But I do warn you that just about all other movies and tv after that will seem mediocre after you these two.”

236. Dark Phoenix said... on Jan 23, 2014 at 04:26PM

“I've recently been seeing a lot of photos on CookyJar's thread, which in case any folks here haven't already heard, coincide with the recent arrests of many of the SW's on the K stroll. Although it's something of a helpful service for the clueless, and he's undoubtedly popular with the lurker population on USASexGuide.info website, many of whom will never get closer to pussy (even commercially available pussy) than these photos, I think it may be time to reconsider what this scumbag is doing to strollers along the K.

Basically, he's clearly identifying all of the f***ing SWs on the Ave! We all know that LE patrols CookyJar's thread, so he's doing a great job of making sure they can do their job, and stick all the valuable talent in jail. CookyJar needs to stop outing working girls and realize HE'S the pervert who needs to be in jail.”

237. Mike said... on Mar 6, 2014 at 12:54PM

“Back in '88,I was seeing a girl who lived on Somerset,about 2 blocks from Kensington. Even in those days,the drug trade was flourishing but they didn't stand on the corners during the day. Anyone looking for dope,coke or weed would go to the correct house (usually a cheap rented room on the ave),and emerge with whatever they had placed firmly in their pocket or purse,not visible to the children playing on the streets. It only got dicey and more visible after about midnight. On those side streets lived real families,with kids and pets and flowerpots on the windowsill and kiddie pools on the sidewalk every Summer. It seemed like an odd sort of co-existence,and even the worst and most frequent 'customers' would emerge from those apartments and walk away promptly. People-even heavily addicted people-and at least a token level of respect for those around them. THAT,I feel,is the biggest difference between then and now.”

238. bennie the bum said... on Mar 14, 2014 at 02:49PM

“THINGS ARE SO BAD IN PAILA ,THE ROACHES RASE RATS TO PROCT THEM SELVES. ALL THE OLD HOODS ARE GONE ,THEY SET A FIRE AT THE OLD THOMAS EDISON HIGH SCHOOL AND TO TOP IT OFF THEY ARE CLOSING ALL OF THE SCHOOLS.ARE FAMLEY HELPED BULD THIS TOWN FROM 1899 TILL 2014 AND ARE STILL TRYING TO HELP . BUT DAM PEOPLE YOU HAVE TO PUT THE RIGHT PEOPPLE IN OFFICE.AND HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS!!”

239. Anonymous said... on Mar 19, 2014 at 01:44PM

“Bennie,I skipped right past your post. Yep, didn't read it. Because you don't know how to write. Using all caps shows you are uneducated and don't know how to use a computer. Too bad. Maybe you had something worthwhile to say.Anon”

240. biatch3434 said... on Mar 25, 2014 at 09:45AM

“Eff all ya trash gossippers...i dint g.a.s. how my spelling gets read.you know what im talking about! Most of yall talking that trash, lived in these neighborhoods.Now all of you, trying to act new an shit.”

241. momo said... on Mar 26, 2014 at 12:27AM

“MY Parents and grandparents born and raised at K and A area or Ascension Parish. My moms mom was from 8th and Girarde my moms Pops from Hells kitchen but they settled down on Potters St by Allegheney. Philly's kensington was a nice place. All our blended family lived there. All Irish or Scott/Irish. All are aunts and uncles....great aunts and uncles. Then they closed all the factories! The dads were in the bars because there was no work. Bud left, Steel left, the mills closed. And they stop hireing cops for the 24/25th. They let them get old and retire; then let the hood rats trash the place. They moved down to D and Westmoreland and trashed white village. They started moving in behind Northeast hospital. You'd turn to God and tell the Ascension priest what was going on at home and they'd say shut up u little lier. My hand to God. The good cops deserted us, The good priest deserted us and let the bad ones. And our moms had to work. No more talk about college or even finishing Hi School”

“I don't like drugs and alcohol and all you fiends need to get a life pay taxes and get a real job...have some self respect heroin crack coke k wet it's all garbage why don't you all take a decent hobby like sewing knitting, reading to the blind..you might not feel like such low lifes”

245. Eloheim1@aol.com said... on May 31, 2014 at 03:37AM

“All a waste of time.I was raised in South West Philly during the Hay in the Game.Came up when The JBM was running the whole cit of Philly.Lost many of my peers to life sentances to Death on them streets.Thank God I made in through all that shizz man.There's only two things thats going to happen in the street life.Either you gonna get killed,get prison time which is like death or you gonna kill somebody.Either way your dead.”

246. Anonymous said... on Jun 3, 2014 at 09:17PM

“Flash, this just in:COOKIE JAR is now on the daily Stop and Question listing. His real ID was revealed in a South Philly paper.

Cookie Jar is reported to be DAVE ROBERTS.”

247. Londoner said... on Jun 29, 2014 at 07:12AM

“Just watched a documentary on philly and looks similar to southeast DC where I lived for 8 years. Is that fella Reds locked up these days. Boy needs to shave that beard!

Come to London we dont let are streets look so deprived. No pride in your town”

248. Anonymous said... on Jul 2, 2014 at 04:37PM

“Londoner aced it: no pride! One of the twerps mentioned above (cookie dough? Cookie man? Whatever) was described as an ex marine. That's an organization with more pride than any I know. And what does this guy do after they toss him out of the service? Drug money and porn! Jeezuz, use that taxpayer training. Live up to the lofty ideals of the corps. Don't just take pictures of nude little girls. What kind of hobby is that? Loser.”

“I started using bags at age 21 while a Temple student. Cold copping was never an issue regardless of which corner of the city I was in. Even in 2008, everyone knew to avoid Kensington/Somerset because chances were you were gonna get either beat or arrested. By simply taking the time to walk a few blocks in towards Broad, one usually could obtain good quality from the Hispanic dealers with MUCH less heat.

Sad to say that I still drive from Lancaster into the city ever other day to meet one of three regular connects. All have Islamic ties and in general, good dope. Shit has been weaker in my opinion, but still need no more than 3/shot to get off with a bun/day habit.

Some may disagree but Philly's notorious open markets are nothing compared to what they used to be. Any dealer with quality shit will not need to risk operating in such a risky way. Just my opinion. In order to avoid problems if new to the city, just visit the needle exchange van and ask the people there to connect you”

251. Anonymous said... on Jul 27, 2014 at 05:43PM

“You missed a hot corner....Emerald & E.Atlantic Sts! All day into the nite having a party with loud music, tables & chairs....cops ridr by see deals go doen do nothing! Cars ride up all day! One child got hit by a car from a woman who just bought! Oh,& lets not forget the shootings almost every nite!”

252. Anonymous said... on Jul 27, 2014 at 07:48PM

“I don't know this David Roberts (Cookie Bar) but it's similar scum who are to blame here. Pay the hooker for obscene acts, hooker pays street seller for drugs, street seller pays drug king, drug king floods streets with poisonous product, people overdose and die, street boys overcrowd jails, drug kings and assholes like cookiebar play cat and mouse with law enforcement. But their day will come. And I hope I'm there at their arrest to laugh and shove a middle finger in their face.”

253. 2nd & Lehigh said... on Aug 3, 2014 at 02:57PM

“Lived at 2nd and Lehigh. Shot heroin daily for ten years(16 bags a day at my max) Shot a ton of cocaine too. Sometimes I'd speedball. I lived there from the early 90's 'til 2001. I lost my place to live and slept under bridges or in abandoned houses for years. Back then the heroin was considered the strongest in the country. I watched a lot of people OD. I had guns to my head many times and a knife to my throat so I bought a gun off a dealer and started carrying. I used to be a lookout for some of the dealers and they'd pay me a couple bags of dope an hour. Sold rocks and dope for a couple of them too. I stopped shooting dope and all other drugs even alcohol in 2003 and as of today have over 11 years sober. I no longer live near PA. I won't ever go back to drugs but I gotta say that even through those tough years, I still miss Philly. It was my home and I miss it.Kids coming from the burbs... be careful. Cops watch for people like you, especially if you got NJ tags.Try to quit!”

254. Mike Tyson said... on Aug 17, 2014 at 09:22PM

“You all suck, Philly makes me sick cause of yous #lawncritters”

255. Obama said... on Sep 1, 2014 at 10:14PM

“We only sell grade A drugs in Philly besides the cops have to make a living somehow, if not from the drug dealers where would they get their stash and cash from. So what we shot a few dealers a day no problem plenty more to fill their shoes it's business, it's America where corruption, drug dealing and murder go hand in hand with police and political corruption.

How dare them Russian people not treat their lot right, Russians are evil.”

256. DE said... on Sep 15, 2014 at 12:43AM

“parked on front st went to a side street directly off kensington ave.had 30 ppl try to serve me. finally got some decent shit. but was way overpriced, and got shorted a bag. 120 a bun and 14 bags buns? is that norm? they dont negotiate at all. the dope game around kensington is deff overrated”

257. Anonymous said... on Sep 25, 2014 at 12:22AM

“what about 8th and butler in philadelphia near erie this block was the most worsted block ive ever heard about and im only 30 the storys that i was told that this block was the top fbi blacklist block with the B.T.W. GANG AKA BLUE TAPE WORRIES this block was the most deadyest block listed in the 80's & 90's. i mean this was one sceary corner pepole could have not walke on this block with out fighting some one back in the day yall must have for got about 8th and butler in north philadelphia.”

258. Baldy Cruiser said... on Sep 30, 2014 at 03:59PM

“CookyJar is an asshole.”

259. Anonymous said... on Nov 3, 2014 at 11:00PM

“what is done when block captains are the main supplier ,and police know it and collect on it, who u gonna call when the police and political are involved.and shop owners are paid off”

260. Bart said... on Nov 6, 2014 at 11:20AM

“In that case, call the FBI. Call the PA office of the attorney general. Call the office of the Philadelphia Police commissioner. Write your congressman and be sure to copy in the two U.S. senators and the Philadelphia Inquirer.”

261. Anonymous said... on Nov 17, 2014 at 10:46PM

“where can I score late night like 2am? its tues night n I wanna cop some good D in a cpl hours when my girl leaves”

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263. Jay said... on Jan 10, 2015 at 10:45PM

“One of the most informative articles from Philly weekly. I really dig the article and its very informative an also. One block people forgot to mention was 9th St between Cumberland and Huntington, That's a notorious drug block and my girl use to live out there. It's crazy. They were getting raided every day or at least every other day. It was wild out there.”

264. alswan said... on Feb 6, 2015 at 04:34PM

“Yes!! 9th & Cuberland is where Cookie Jar picks up his underage girls.”

“Cookie, you're whereabouts are well known. No sense hiding. The narcotics squad has been notified by memo of your pattern: daytime pickups, lower Kensington Ave area, phony restaurant-seeking excuse. Go back to Camden. What's that? You say Camden is hot right now? Tough beans. I'd say you're screwed either way then. C'mon, you're 67 years old! Time to give it a rest, pervert.”

269. Anonymous said... on Apr 9, 2015 at 09:32PM

“problem is the police go after the little guys, that gets nothing done they are afraid to do thier jobs, The big dealers are out on the corner right out in the open, a baby could get what's going down. The police are afraid to do the dangerous part of their job, instead, driving arund trying to pick up girls, like this whole mess is some kind of joke, what if were their daughters out there. llots of time these girls aren't even working girls, huh, it's a damn shame if they don't wanna do the whole job, they signed on for they should get another carreer.”

270. Clitlicker said... on May 6, 2015 at 05:34PM

“CookyJar is a pervert.”

271. Rennie said... on May 23, 2015 at 01:41PM

“5th & Carpenter is NOT Pennsport.”

272. Anonymous said... on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:41AM

“if this cookie jar so bad arrest him”

273. Anonymous said... on Jun 18, 2015 at 03:36PM

“Real talk where is best shit right now? Used to go to mutter but don't wanna take a ride for nothing”

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